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THE 


f    BRITISH    ANGLER'S    MANUAL, 


OR, 


®|ie  MU  !^t  Mm&iM% 


IN 


ENGLAND,  SCOTLAND,  WALES,  AND  IRELAND. 


WITH  BOMB  ACCOUNT  OF 


IN  THE  UNITED  KINGDOM  ; 

WITH  INSTRUCTIONS  IN  FLY-FISHING,  TROLLING,  AND  ANGLING  AT  THE 
BOTTOM,  AND  MORE  PAMJCULARLY  FOR  THE  TROUT. 

Bt   tVc/HOFLAND,   Esq. 

NEW  EDITION,  REVISED  AND  ENLARGED 

By  E^ESSE,  Esq. 

Author  qf  "  Gleanings  in  NaturSl  History,'*  **An  Angler's  Rambles,"  S[c. 


EMBELLISHED  WITH  NUMEROUS  ENGRAVINGS  ON  STEyEL  AND  WOOD, 

CHIEFLY  FKOM  OKIQINAL  PICTUBES  AND  DBA  WINGS  BY  THB  AUTHOB. 


LONDON: 
H,  G.  BOHN,  YORK  STREET,  COVENT  GARDEN. 


1848         ^ 
c.vu.  fh 


LONDON: 

PRINTED  BT  GEORGE  BARCLAY,  CASTLE  STREET, 
LEICESTER  SQUARE. 


EDITOR^S   PREFACE. 


I  HAVE  often  thought  that  there  are  few 
enjojnnents  greater  in  this  world  than  that  of 
fishing  from  the 'b&afcs  of  sblne  clear  and  rapid 
stream  on  a  balmy  day,  and  now  and  then  re- 
posing  by  its  margin,  with  an  entertaining  book, 
Ustening  to  the  song  of  birds,  or  watching  gay 
insects  as  they  flit  around,  unconscious  of  danger 
from  the  restless  swallow,  or  the  joyous  willow 
wren.  As  an  old  angler  I  look  back  on  these 
peaceful  days  with  infinite  satisfaction,  and  peruse 
descriptions  of  rivers  along  which  I  have  wan- 


iv  editor's  PRBFACfi. 

dered  in  my  more  youthful  years  with  unmixed 
delight. 

With  these  feelings  I  undertook  the  task  of 
editing  a  new  edition  of  Mr.  Hofland's  "  Angler," 
a  work  which,  whether  for  practical  information 
or  pleasing  detail,  has  not,  perhaps,  been  exceeded 
by  any  similar  one  since  the  days  of  the  good 
father,  Izaak  Walton.  Mr.  Hofland  was  not 
only  a  practical  angler  and  a  true  lover  of  nature, 
but  he  has  given  engravings  of  scenery,  painted 
by  and  described  by  himself,  in  a  masterly 
manner,  and  from  these  combined  materials  his 
work  is  composed.  His  love  of  nature  is,  indeed, 
conspicuous  throughout  the  volume,  and  this 
forms  one  of  its  greatest  charms. 

Izaak  Walton's  descriptions  of  his  favourite 
river  are  almost  confined  to  one  locahty ;  while 
Mr.  Hofland  wanders  through  England,  Wales, 
and  Scotland,  plying  his  rod  in  each  river  in 
succession  with  unmitigated  ardoiir,  and  trans- 


EDITOR^S  PREFACE.  V 

ferring  to  his  portfolio  the  scenery  which  strack 
his  fancy  or  excited  his  admiration.  And  then 
those  snug  village  inns,  the  haunts  of  honest  an- 
glers, how  well  has  our  author  described  them ! 
Cleanliness,  civility,  and  good  cheer  are  generally 
to  be  found  in  them  ;  for  the  angler,  placid,  mild, 
and  contented  himself,  is  always  a  welcome  and 
a  favoured  guest. 

Mr.  Hofland's  work  is  now  again  before  the 
public,  with  a  few  corrections  which  local  changes 
had  rendered  necessary.  Some  notes  and  re- 
marks have  been  added,  and  a  few  fresh  hints 
given  to  anglers,  which  the  Editor  is  sure  will 
be  well  received  by  his  brethren  of  the  rod  and 
Kne.  He  has  had  a  pleasing  task  to  perform,  if 
it  were  only  in  following  Mr.  Hofland  to  some 
scenes  of  poetry  and  romance,  and  to  others 
of  calmness,  peace,  and  seclusion.  He  is  now, 
alas !  no  more :  but  he  has  left  behind  him 
a  standard  work,  which  will  be  read  as  long 


vi  EDITOR^S  PREFACE. 


as  a  salmon  rises  in  the  Tweed,  or  a  trout  in 
the  Thames. 

« 

Blameless  his  Ufe^  his  love  of  nature  true, 
Simple  his  pleasures^  and  his  sorrows  few. 
There  rests  the  angler  'neath  the  peaceful  shade 
(And  while  upon  the  bank  liis  rod  is  laid) 
Fainting  the  scenes  wherein  lie  loved  to  dwell. 
The  aged  tree-— the  hut — the  wooded  dell ! 
Idle  the  pencil  now — the  rod  is  still — 
Alike  to  him  all  change  of  joy  or  ill : 
Angler !  one  sigh  to  Hofland  thou  must  give, 
Though  he  is  dead,  the  author  long  shall  live. 

Edward  Jesse. 

Richmond^  Nov.  1847. 


MEMOIR 


OF 


THE  LATE  T.  C.  HOFLAND,  Esq. 


Fob  all  true  brothers  and  disciples  of  the  ''gentle 
craft,"  some  record  of  the  personal  lustory  and  character 
of  a  most  devoted,  enthusiastic,  and  I  may  add  distin- 
guished, member  of  their  fraternity,  cannot  fail,  it  is  believed, 
to  possess  an  interest ;  while  to  a  large  circle  of  friends, 
who  knew  and  appreciated  his  talents  and  his  worth,  it 
will,  I  am  sure,  not  prove  unacceptable.  I  have,  therefore, 
gladly  availed  myself  of  the  privilege  accorded  me  by  the 
courtesy  of  the  publisher  of  tliis  new  and  improved  edition 
of  "  The  British  Angler's  Manual,"  to  introduce  it  here. 
Although  it  must  be  expected  that  a  work  of  this  descrip- 
tion will  be  chiefly  interesting  to  the  angler,  yet  it  may  be 
presumed  that  the  beauty  of  its  illustrations,  and  the  live- 
liness of  its  style,  will  commend  it  to  the  favour  of  the 
general  reader.  I  may  thus  indulge  a  hope  that  this  slight 
sketch  will  meet  the  eye  of  many  friends,  who  will  under- 
stand and  sympathise  with  the  feeling  that  prompts  me  to 
pay  such  tribute  of  respect  as  is  in  my  power  to  a  memory 
justly  dear  to  me,  and  of  which  I  have  so  much  reason  to 
be  proud. 

Thomas  Christopher  Hofland  was  bom  in  the  year  1777, 
at  Worksop,  in  Nottinghamshire.  His  father  was  a  manu- 
fecturer  of  cotton  machinery,  on  an  extensive  scale,  and 
being  a  man  of  considerable  scientific  acquirements,  and  of 
great  natural  abilities,  prosecuted  his  business  with  much 


Vlll  MEMOIR. 

success,  and  made  various  important  improvements  in  the 
mechanical  construction  of  the  articles  he  manufactured. 
In  the  year  1790  he  removed  to  London,  where,  having  at 
that  time  comparatively  little  competition  to  encounter  in 
the  branch  of  trade  in  which  he  was  engaged,  he  had  every 
reason  to  believe  he  should  reap  the  reward  of  his  ingenuity 
and  enterprise  in  the  acquisition  of  a  handsome  independ- 
ence. Sanguine  in  this  expectation,  he  deemed  it  unne- 
cessary that  the  subject  of  this  memoir — an  only  child — 
should  embrace  either  trade  or  profession.  The  young 
heir,  who  had  early  evinced  a  vivacious  and  pleasure-loving 
disposition,  as  it  may  be  supposed,  offered  no  remonstrance 
on  this  account,  but  entered  freely  into  the  amusements 
and  excitements  most  attractive  to  his  age  and  tempera- 
ment. Elegant  in  person,  and  engaging  in  manners,  pro- 
fusely supplied  with  means  by  his  indulgent  parent,  he 
found  ready  access  to  those  circles  of  society  where  his 
tastes  and  qualifications  had  best  opportunity  of  cultivation 
and  developement.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  was  noted 
among  young  men  of  his  own  class  and  circumstances  as 
excelling  in  all  athletic  exercises  and  field  sports.  As  a 
leaper,  or  runner,  few  durst  enter  the  lists  with  him ;  and 
he  was  also  distinguished  as  a  bold  rider  and  "a  crack 
shot."  .  But  even  at  this  early  age  his  favourite  pastime 
was  angling,  which  he  pursued  with  equal  ardour,  though 
inferior  skill,  to  that  winch  he  acquired  in  after  years.  An 
old  and  very  dear  friend,  who  was  his  contemporary,  favoured 
me  not  long  ago  with  the  perusal  of  a  letter  dated  from 
North  Wales,  which  described,  in  a  truly  Waltonian  spirit, 
the  delight  he  experienced  when,  on  his  first  fly-fishing  ex- 
pedition, he  succeeded  in  capturing  a  trout  of  a  pound  and 
a-half  weight.  It  is  doubtfiil  whether  the  greatest  feats 
accomplished  by  "the  master"  in  after  years,  afforded  such 
unmixed  gratification  as  that  felt  by  "the  tyro"  on  this 
occasion.  But  to  proceed.  In  the  midst  of  the  alluring, 
but  dangerous  career  I  have  described,  the  fabric  of  pro- 
sperity which  the  elder  Hofland  had  built  up  with  so  much 
skill  and  pains — ^but  had  not,  unfortunately,  sustained  with 
corresponding  prudence  —  tottered,  and,  after  some  vain. 


f 


MEMOIR.  IX 

brief  struggles  for  retrieval,  fell  to  the  ground.  He  had 
,  entered  largely  into  speculations  unconnected  with  his  le- 
gitimate occupations ;  had  been  the  dupe,  and  became  the 
victim,  of  unprincipled  adventurers.  He  was  totally  ruined, 
and  at  a  period  when  age  and  increasing  infirmity  rendered 
all  hope  of  redemption  vdn.  He  retired  with  his  afficted 
wife  to  the  village  of  Kew,  where  they  resided  for  the  short 
remnant  of  their  lives,  engaged  in  humbler  avocations  than 
before,  but  sustaining  adversity  nobly,  and  bearing  to  the 
last  characters  imstained  and  irreproachable.  But  what,  at 
the  juncture  I  have  described,  was  the  situation  of  the  in- 
dulged son  and  expectant  heir  to  ample  fortune  ?  Surely 
one  of  the  most  trying  in  which  a  human  being  could  be 
placed, — thrown  upon  the  world,  with  the  habits,  tastes, 
manners,  and  feelings  of  a  gentleman,  without  means  and 
without  profession.  To  his  fond  parents  his  position  was 
the  bitterest  aggravation  of  their  altered  fortunes ;  and  to 
his  honour  be  it  recorded,  that  the  gay  and  dashing  young 
man,  thus  suddenly  arrested  in  a  career  of  pleasure,  which 
few,  having  the  opportunity  of  its  enjoyments,  could  have 
resisted,  added  not  to  their  sorrows  by  selfish  or  querulous 
repinings ;  but,  abandoning  at  once  the  gaieties  and  plea- 
sures in  which  he  had  no  longer  a  right  to  indulge,  began 
calmly  to  consider  in  what  way  he  could  best  earn  for  him- 
self a  respectable  subsistence. 

Always  an  ardent  lover  of  nature  (what  true  brother  of 
the  angle  is  not  ?),  and  possessing  some  skill  as  an  amateur 
painter,  he  resolved  to  adopt  that  art  as  a  profession ;  and, 
to  that  end,  placed  himself  imder  the  tuition  of  Rathbone, 
an  artist  of  eminence  at  that  time.  From  him  he  received 
about  three  months'  instruction,  which  was  as  much  as  his 
scanty  means,  derived  from  the  sale  of  his  horse,  guns,  and 
other  luxuries,  enabled  him  to  command,  and  was  all  that 
he  at  any  period  of  his  life  received.  He  devoted  himself 
to  the  practice  of  the  profession  he  had  chosen  with  the 
earnestness  and  enthusiasm  which  were  a  portion  of  his 
nature,  and  his  progress  was  rapid ;  so  much  so  that  in 
two  years  he  produced  a  picture,  which  was  well  hung,  and 
sold  in  the  Royal  Academy.     For  some  time  afterwards 


X  MEMOIR. 

he  was  less  fortunate  in  obtaining  admission  for  his  works 
to  the  walls  of  the  Academy,  and  he  was  compelled  to  re- 
sort to  the  resource  of  most  imassisted  young  artists — that 
of  teaching  for  a  livelihood.  His  gentlemanly  manners,  as 
well  as  his  professional  skill,  rendered  his  services  de- 
sirable to  many  schools  and  families  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Kew,  where  he  resided,  and  his  time  was  profitably 
employed.  I  have  often  heard  him  recur  to  this  period  of 
his  life  as  one  of  great  happiness  ;  happiness  derived  from 
the  consciousness  of  honourable  effort,  of  daily  increasing 
power  in  his  beautiful  art,  and  in  wandering  by  the  de- 
lightful banks  of  the  Thames,  which  furnished  alike  mate- 
rials for  his  pencil  and  opportunity  for  indulgence  in  his 
favourite  sport.  He  had  parted  with  his  horse,  "  his  dog, 
and  his  gun,"  but  his  fishing-tackle  had  been  held  sacred, 
and  diligently  was  it  employed,  to  the  signed  discomfiture 
of  the  roach,  dace,  and  barbel  of  "  Thames'  silver  tide." 
At  the  time  of  which  I  write  the  continentfQ  war  was 
raging :  Napoleon  was  at  the  height  of  his  power,  and 
rumours  were  current  that  the  ambitious  Corsican  would 
have  the  temerity  to  brave  the  lion  in  his  lair,  and  attempt 
the  invasion  even  of  England  itself.  At  this  period  nu- 
merous volunteer  regiments  were  formed  in  various  parts 
of  the  kingdom,  and  the  young  artist,  entering  into  the 
prevailing  military  spirit,  joined  a  corps  in  Surrey,  known 
as  the  "  King's  Own."  His  activity,  soldier-like  deport- 
ment, and  strict  attention  to  duty,  soon  attracted  observa- 
tion, and  he  passed  rapidly  from  grade  to  grade,  until  he 
attained  that  of  Captain.  While  in  this  situation  he  had 
the  honour  of  being  noticed  by  George  the  Third,  from 
whom  he  received  a  commission  to  execute  a  series  of 
botaniced  drawings,  and  by  whom  he  was  afterwards  offered 
the  appointment  of  draughtsman  to  an  expedition  about  to 
sail  on  a  voyage  of  discovery ;  but  this,  though  an  enter- 
prise wholly  consonant  with  his  adventurous  spirit,  he  de- 
clined, out  of  regard  to  the  feelings  of  his  mother,  who 
could  not  be  prevailed  upon  to  contemplate  his  departure 
but  vrith  dread  and  aversion. 

In  1803  he  removed  from  Kew  to  Derby,  where  he 


MEMOIR.  XI 

had  a  prospect  of  superior  patronage,  and  where,  indeed, 
he  did  establish  himseK  in  a  highly  lucrative  teaching  con- 
nexion. He  was,  however,  after  three  years'  residence  in 
Derby,  induced  by  circumstances  to  go  to  Doncaster,  where 
he  devoted  himself  wholly  to  painting.  The  "  Leeds  gallery" 
(the  first  provincial  exhibition  of  paintings,  save  that  of 
Bath,  established  in  England)  was  at  that  time  instituted, 
and  Mr.  Hofland  contributed  no  fewer  than  eight  pictures, 
all  of  which  were  much  admired,  and,  what  was  more  to  the 
purpose,  all  sold.  Elated  with  success  he  set  off  for  the 
lakes  of  Cumberland,  the  sublime  scenery  of  which  made 
an  impression  upon  his  mind  never  to  be  effaced.  They 
were  ever  afterwards  the  favourite  subjects  of  his  pencil, 
and  I  will  venture  to  assert  that  no  other  artist  has  so 
faithfully  depicted  their  varied  and  romantic  beauties.  As 
Wordsworth,  Southey,  and  Coleridge,  are  termed  "  the  lake 
poets,"  so  may  Hofland  be  justly  named  "  the  lake  painter." 
It  was  about  this  time,  at  the  beautiful  village  of  Knares- 
borough,  that  occurred,  what  may  truly  be  termed  the  most 
fortunate  event  of  his  existence.  It  was  here  he  first  met 
the  admirable  woman  who  was  his  faithful  and  attached 
partner  through  life.  This  is  not  the  place  in  which  I  may 
properly  pay  a  tribute  of  respect  and  affection  worthy  her 
exalted  worth;  yet,  closely  interwoven  as  is  her  history 
with  that  of  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  something  may  be 
allowed  me.  Not  the  least  valuable  quality  of  human  ex- 
cellence is  its  imperishable  nature.  The  influence  of  genius 
and  of  virtue  survives  the  grave ;  and  when  the  world  is 
called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  the  gifted  and  the  good, 
it  has  consolation  in  the  knowledge  that  the  creations  of 
their  genius  remain  to  delight,  and  the  example  of  their 
virtues  to  improve,  it.  Indeed,  the  hope  of  this  immortal 
usefulness  must  ever  be  the  chief  incentive  to  human 
effort.  The  trials,  the  self-sacrifices,  the  heart-rendings 
and  disappointments,  which  are  the  frequent  lot  of  those 
who  labour  for  the  benefit  of  their  kind,  could  never  be 
repaid  but  through  the  consciousness  that  they  were 
working  and  enduring  for  posterity.  The  diffiisive  and 
sublime  philanthropy  by  which  such  minds  are  actuated 


Xll  MBMOIR. 

is  perhaps  one  of  the  rarest,  as  it  is  unquestionably  one  of 
the  noblest,  developements  of  moral  greatness.  Through 
its  agency,  almost  every  great  advance  the  world  has  made 
in  social  or  political  improvement  has  been  accomplished. 
The  most  magnificent  systems  of  policy,  the  highest 
triumphs  of  art,  have  had  their  origin  in  enthusiastic,  self- 
sacrificing  individual  effort.  We  who  rejoice  in  the  fruits 
should  not  forget  the  sowers  of  the  seed;  they  demand 
the  gratitude  of  the  posterity  for  which  they  laboured  and 
suffered,  and  in  the  emulative  influence  of  their  example 
rest  the  best  hopes  of  the  future.  There  are,  of  course, 
various  degrees  of  power  in  this  class  of  minds.  The 
great  regenerators  of  nations,  the  founders  of  faiths,  and 
flie  builders  up  of  systems,  are  its  highest  point ;  but  not 
less  beautiful,  not  less  worthy  our  admiration  and  our  love, 
are  its  humbler  manifestations.  Mrs.  Hofland  was  un- 
doubtedly a  membeir  of  the  class  I  have  described.  Her 
long  life  was  spent  in  active  intellectual  exertion ;  how 
successfully,  the  numerous  beautiful  fictions  that  bear  her 
name  sufficiently  testify;  and  she  has  bequeathed  an 
example  of  moral  beauty  to  the  world  of  every  quality  that 
can  exalt  and  dignify  the  name  of  woman,  such  as  has 
never  been  surpassed,  and  rarely  equalled.  Those  who 
had  the  happiness  of  knowing  her  will  feel  as  I  do,  that  by 
me  the  language  of  eulogy  applied  to  Mrs.  Hofland  can 
never  be  exaggerated,  and  never  out  of  place ;  while  the 
general  reader  will,  I  trust,  pardon  a  digression  prompted 
by  gratitude  and  affection. 

A  few  years  after  his  marriage,  Mr.  Hofland  settled  in 
London,  and,  though  ceJled  upon  for  a  time  to  endure  his 
share  of  the  difficulties  common  to  young  artists,  he  was, 
upon  the  whole,  successful.  His  exhibited  pictures  were 
favourably  noticed,  and  he  had  influential  patrons,  among 
the  earliest  of  whom  may  be  mentioned  the  Countess  De 
Grey,  Lord  Coventry,  and  Sir  George  Beaumont,  all  de- 
cided connoisseurs.  In  1812  he  obtained  the  British  Gal- 
lery's prize  of  one  hundred  guineas,  for  the  best  landscape, 
— **  A  Storm  off  the  coast  of  Scarborough,"  which  was  pur- 
chased by  the  Marquis  of  Stafford.     About  this  time,  too. 


!       ► 


MEMOIR.  XUl 

he  produced  his  large  picture  of  "  Richmond  Hill"  (in  the 
possession  of  G.  Alnutt,  Esq.,  one  of  his  most  liberal 
patrons),  which  has  been  generally  allowed  to  be  the  finest 
of  the  many  works  extant  illustrative  of  that  beautiful  lo- 
cality. At  this  period  his  prospects  were  in  the  highest 
degree  encouraging,  when  he  was*  imfortunately  induced  to 
enter  into  an  engagement  with  the  late  Duke  of  Marl- 
borough to  furnish  a  series  of  views  for  a  work  descriptive 
of  his  grace's  princely  estate  of  White  Knights.  He  was 
for  nearly  three  years  engaged  in  making  the  necessary 
sketches,  and  had  become  responsible  to  the  engravers, 
printer,  and  others  engaged  in  the  work — a  most  expensive 
one, — ^trusting,  of  course,  with  the  utmost  confidence,  to  the 
duke's  fulfilment  of  his  engagements.  They  never  were 
fulfiUed !  It  is  not  my  wish  to  make  any  comment  upon 
the  conduct  of  the  "  noble  patron*'  on  this  occasion, — the 
facts  speak  for  themselves.  Not  only  was  the  poor  artist 
deprived  of  the  just  reward  of  his  labours,  but  saddled  mth 
a'  heavy — to  him  a  tremendous — responsibility,  towards 
meeting  which,  all  that  was  available  were  about  fifty  copies 
of  the  book,  which  were  sold  at  a  great  sacrifice.  I  should 
mention,  that  Mrs.  Hofland  had  also  contributed  her  time 
and  talents  to  the  work,  having  written  the  whole  of  the 
letterpress,  including  a  charming  poem  in  the  Spenserian 
measure,  which  has  been  greatly  admired.  Many  men  of 
more  than  ordinary  nerve  would  have  sunk  under  this  un- 
expected, and  at  the  time  overwhelming,  calamity;  but, 
strengthened  by  the  affectionate  and  hopeful  counsels  of  his 
wife,  as  well  as  by  her  practical  assistance,  he  looked  the 
difficulty  boldly  in  the  face,  and  eventually  surmounted  it, 
though  at  the  cost  of  years  of  toil,  privation,  and  suffering 
to  both.  Every  shilling  of  the  noble  duke's  debt  was  paid 
by  the  artist's  toil  and  the  literary  labours  of  his  wife, — a 
fact  I  am  proud  to  record  here,  as  a  noble  instance  of  de- 
termined perseverance  and  high  integrity.  It  was  un- 
doubtedly during  this  trying  period  that  ihe  seeds  of  that 
disease  were  sown,  which  was  a  source  of  almost  constant 
suffering  through  the  rest  of  his  life,  and  to  which,  I  have 
high  medical  authority  for  asserting,  may  fairly  be  at- 


XIV  MEMOIR. 

tributed  an  irritability  of  temper  and  impatience  of  contra- 
diction which  frequently  marred  the  otherwise  generous 
and  social  qualities  of  his  nature. 

During  Mr.  Hofland's  long  residence  in  London,  he 
established  his  reputation  as  a  landscape  painter  of  a  high 
order,  and  his  works  were  eagerly  sought  after.  Among 
his  most  influential  and  steady  patrons  were  the  late  Lords 
De  Tabley,  Carysfort,  and  Northwick  ;  the  Hon.  Mr. 
Howard,  of  Greystoke ;  Henry  Hoole,  Esq.,  of  SheflBeld  ; 
and  William  Chillingworth,  Esq.,  of  Twickenham;  the 
latter  of  whom  possesses  a  number  of  his  finest  works. 

Mr.  Hofland,  in  conjunction  with  Mr.  Linton  and  a  few 
other  brother  artists,  projected  and  established  the  now 
flourishing  Society  of  British  Artists ;  to  which,  through  all 
the  circumstances  of  danger  and  difficulty  that  marked 
its  early  career,  he  adhered  with  unshaken  fidelity.  He 
undertook  its  most  responsible  offices  when  others  shrunk 
from  the  charge,  and  for  its  s£ike  resigned  the  honours  of 
"  the  Academy,"  when  unquestionably  within  his  reach. 
The  most  delightful  occupation  of  his  later  life  was  the 
preparation  of  "  The  British  Angler's  Manual."  This  was 
indeed  to  him  a  "  labour  of  love ;"  and,  to  use  his  own 
words,  "  he  felt  yoimg  again  while  retracing  the  scenes  of 
his  youth  and  manhood,  dear  to  him  alike  as  artist  and 
angler."  It  was  the  enviable  fortune  of  Mr.  Hofland  to 
possess  a  partner  not  only  tender  and  affectionate,  but  one 
who  sympathised  entirely  with  his  pursuits.  She  was 
ever  ready  to  encourage  his  piscatory  expeditions,  and 
always  exhibited  as  much  pride  and  pleasure  in  his  success 
as  he  himself  could  have  experienced.  The  following  little 
poem,  which  I  find  among  her  unpublished  MSS.  will 
serve  to  shew  how  warmly  she  entered  into  the  spirit  of  her 
husband's  favourite  pastime : — 

SONNET  ON  ANGLING. 

What  is  the  conqueror's  most  triumphant  joy 
Compared  to  his  who  brings  from  lake  or  stream 

The  valorous  trout, — carp,  cunning,  old,  and  coy, — 
Or  pike,  voracious, — perch,  with  golden  gleam, — 


MEMOIR.  XV 

Or  dace  of  living  silver  ?    What  a  theme, 

On  which  the  sire  may  lesson  his  proud  boy, 
And  friendship  listen  till  day's  parting  beam 

Close  on  the  pleasant  toil,  the  loved  employ  ! 
Thence  rise  no  revelries  to  vice  akin, 

No  vulgar  joys  unmeet  for  souls  refined, 
The  angler's  art  and  energies  may  "win 

Alike  the  polished  and  the  manly  mind ; 
The  one  delight  I  ween  where  nian  ne'er  found 
Source  for  repentant  sigh,  or  sorrow's  slightest  wound. 

B.  H. 

The  unfortunate  failure  of  the  original  publisher  of  this 
work  was  a  source  of  deep  mortification  to  its  author  at  the 
time,  as  it  not  only  deprived  him  of  the  pecuniary  re- 
compense he  had  reason  to  expect  he  should  derive  from  it, 
but  cast  a  shadow  over  his  future  prospects.  To  the  last 
hour  of  his  life  he  reverted  to  it  with  interest,  and  with 
hope  that  some  benefit  might  accrue  from  it  to  those  who 
should  come  after  him.  Would  that  he  could  have  lived  to 
hail  its  reappearance  under  its  present  favourable  auspices  ! 
But  it  did  not  so  please  the  Almighty  Disposer  of  events. 

In  1840,  Mr.  Hofiand  realised  a  design  he  had  long 
entertained,  and  which  it  is  to  be  regretted  he  had  not 
earlier  carried  out.  He  visited  Italy,  having  received  a 
commission  from  the  late  Earl  of  Egremont  (who  was  not 
only  his  generous  patron,  but  his  attached  friend)  to  paint 
a  number  of  pictures,  to  be  selected  from  sketches  he 
might  make.  His  health  was  very  feeble  at  the  time  of 
his  leaving  England,  and  the  heat  of  the  Italian  climate 
materially  aggravated  the  symptoms  under  which  he  la- 
boured ;  so  Siat  the  delight  he  experienced  in  the  glorious 
scenery  of  that  "  delicious  land,"  and  in  the  immortal 
treasures  of  art  revealed  to  him  at  Rome  and  Florence, 
was  marred  by  constant  suffering,  and  a  dread  which  often 
oppressed  him  that  he  should  not  live  to  return  to  his 
native  land.  Under  these  severe  disadvantages,  however, 
he  laboured  hard :  it  was  a  literal  striving  of  the  spirit 
with  the  body,  and  a  successful  one.     In  the  course  of  the 


XVI  MEMOIR. 

nine  months  he  remained  in  Italy  he  made  upwards  of  a 
hmidred  beautiful  and  highly  finished  sketches,  from 
which,  on  his  return  home,  as  many  as  twelve  were  selected 
for  pictures  by  the  Earl  of  Egremont,  but  of  which  he  only 
lived  to  complete  five.  The  sketches  are  now  in  my 
possession,  and  are  acknowledged  by  all  who  have  seen 
them  to  be,  considering  the  circumstances  under  which  they 
were  made,  marvellous  evidences  of  enthusiastic  effort  and 
endurance. 

On  his  return  from  Italy  he  removed  from  Ham- 
mersmith, where  he  had  for  some  few  years  resided,  to 
Richmond,  a  spot  to  which  he  had  ever  been  passionately 
attached.  Here,  whenever  intervals  of  illness  would  allow, 
he  pursued,  with  undiminished  ardour,  his  "  loved  employ" 
of  angling.  But  the  time  too  soon  arrived  when  he  was 
compelled  to  relinquish  this  and  every  other  occupation 
but  that  of  preparing  himself  for  the  end  which  he  felt 
approaching.  In  1842,  by  the  advice  of  his  physician. 
Dr.  Grant,  of  Eichmond  (whose  unremitting  and  skilful 
attention,  and  great  personeJ  kindness,  has  placed  all  con- 
nected with  his  patient  under  a  deep  debt  of  gratitude),  as 
a  last  resort,  he  went  to  Leamington,  where  he  was  at- 
tended by  the  celebrated  Dr.  Jephson,  of  that  place,  who 
did  for  him  ell  that  could  be  done  ;  but  all  was  vain.  His 
disease  (which  was  cancer  in  the  stomach)  had  obtained 
too  firm  a  footing  to  yield  to  medical  treatment ;  and  a 
few  weeks  after  reaching  Leamington  he  expired  in  the 
arms  of  his  afflicted  wife,  who,  for  many  days  previous  to 
his  death,  he  could  never  bear  from  his  side,  in  the  sixty- 
sixth  year  of  his  age.  Of  the  reputation  to  which  the 
subject  of  this  memoir  is  entitled  as  an  artist  this  is  not 
the  place  fully  to  inquire.  His  works  may,  I  believe,  be 
safely  left  to  tlie  judgment  of  all  who  can  appreciate  purity 
of  style,  truthfulness  to  nature,  and  the  poelay  of  pastoral 
life.  As  an  angler,  in  which  character  he  has  perhaps  the 
greatest  claim  to  the  interest  of  the  readers  of  fliis  volume, 
the  mass  of  information  collected  in  the  work  will  suffi-^ 
ciently  attest  his  skill  and  enthusiasm.  His  personal 
character  cannot  be  better  described  than  in  the  words  of 


MEMOIR.  XVU 

his  widow : — "  I  can  truly  say,  that  his  own  injuries  and 
suJBTerings  gave  to  my  husband  a  sense  of  the  value  of  in- 
tegrity, and  the  necessity  of  prudence,  in  a  very  high  de- 
gree. I  can  safely  assert  that,  for  more  than  twenty  years, 
his  strict  sense  of  the  obligations  of  justice  never  were  ex- 
ceeded. Most  hospitable  by  nature,  and  possessing  the 
knowledge  and  taste  to  make  that  virtue  eflficient  for  en- 
joyment, he  yet  denied  himself  the  pleasure  of  receiving 
the  friends  he  loved,  the  society  he  admired,  rather  than 
run  the  risk  of  being  deficient  in  his  payments.  It  might 
yet  be  truly  said,  that  he  had  for  the  poor  man's  wants  as 
ready  a  shilling  as  *  my  Uncle  Toby,'  as  many  in  every 
place  where  we  have  resided  will  gladly  testify.  Perpetual 
returns  of  acute  pain  rendered  his  temper  petulant ;  but, 
though  he  often  scolded,  he  never  scandalised.  From  the 
tale  of  calumny  he  ever  turned  indignant,  and  never  re- 
peated, even  to  me,  any  circumstance  which  reflected  on 
the  conduct  of  others,  even  when  strictly  true ;  and  he  had 
a  love  and  pleasure  in  the  improvement  and  welfare  of  his 
brother  artists  I  have  never  seen  equalled  in  any  other 
person." 

To  such  a  tribute  from  such  a  source  nothing  need  be 
added,  and  with  it  I  conclude,  assured  that,  to  many  who 
knew  him,  whatever  may  tend  to  recall  an  old  friend  plea- 
santly to  their  recollection  will  be  welcome,  while,  to  the 
general  reader,  I  can  only  hope  that  this  slight  memoir 
will  not  prove  wholly  uninteresting  or  uninstructive. 

Thomas  R.  Hofland. 


LIST    OF    ENGRAVINGS. 


STEEL  PLATES. 


Painted  by  Engraved  by       To  face 

Fresh-water  Fish F.  R.  Lcs    W.B.  Scon-..* •Front. 

Dove  Dale,  Derbyshire    T.  C.  Hon.ANO  ••  W.  R.  SvrrH . .  • .  Title 

Leistering  Salmon  in  the  Tweed.. ..  O.  Balxeb J.  W.  A>chk&  ..  p.  26 

Loch  Awe,  Highlands  of  Scotland   . .  T.  C.  Hoflamd  •  >  W.  B.  Smith  •  •  • .       34 

Bull  Trout A.  CooPKa  J.  OuraiM  50 

The  Trout  Stream  O.  Balmeb J.W.  Akcheb    ..       64 

The  Wall-Stream  on  the  Conway   ..  L.  J.  Wood     ....  J.  W.  Abchxb    ••       90 

Hampton,  Middlesex    T.  C.  Hofland . •  W.R.  Smith  •.••      182 

Artificial  Flies  :Nos.  1  to  11  inclusive  T.  C.  Hofland  ..  W.  R.  Smith  ••  •>  211 
Ditto  Nos.  12 to 22 inclusive  T.  C.  Hofland  • .  W.R.  Smith  ....  217 
Ditto  Nos.  23 to 28 inclunve  T.  C.  Hofland  ..  W. R.  Smith  ....  223 
Ditto         Nos.  29  to  39  inclusive  T.  C.  Hofland  . .  W.  R.  Smith  • .  • .      227 

^aST ^.f."??? .^:  ^?I  .*!'.^T.*'.T!°?}  T.  C.  Hofland  ..W.R.  Smith  ....     242 

Teddington  Weir J.  Jacxson W.  A.  Abchbk  ..      252 

Horse  and  Groom,  Lea  Bridge T.  C.  Hofland  • .  W.  B.  Smith  ....      278 

Ulswater,   taken  from  Halsteads,!   ,p    «  Hoi^LANn..  W  H  Smith  99« 

the  Seat  of  John  Marshall,  Esq.  j  T.  l> .  uofland  . .  w.  K.  Smith  ....      29b 

Bolton  Abbey,  Yorkshire  T.  C.  Hofland  . .  W.  R.  Smith  ....  328 

Whitewell,  Yorkshire W.Linton W.R.Smith....  332 

Valley  of  the  Wye    T.  Ceeswick  ....  J.  W.  AacnsB..  356 

Hereford T.  Cbeswick  ....  S.  Fisher  364 

Llanberris  Lake C.  Radcltffe..  ..  E.    Radcliffb..  388 

*™:^?kSXw^eI"°..'*.  .^'!?.']  T.  C.  Ho^«. ..  W.  H.  8«„B  .. ..     399 
The  Dargle,  County  of  Wicklow..  ••  T.  C.  Hofland  ..  W.  R.  Smith  ....      440 

WOODCUTS. 

Engraved  by     Page 

View  of  Windsor  Castle Drawn  by  W.  H.  Pbiob  ....  W.  Mason  . .  xviii 

Head-piece  to  Preface  ......  ....  Drawn  by  T.  Bewick T.Bewick.,  zxi 

Head-piece  to  Chapter  I Drawn  by  W.  Habvet    ....  Landells  ..       1 

Tail-piece — a  Wynch Drawn  by  T.  C.  Hofland  ..  Landells  ..      8 

Head-piece  to  Chapter  II Drawn  by  W.  Habvet    ....  Landells  ..      9 

Tail-piece — the  May  Fly    Drawn  by  T.  C.  Hofland  ..  Landells  ..     23 

The  Salmon    Painted  by  T.  C.  Hofland..  Thompson..     24 

Ross  Castle     Drawn  by  T.  C.  Hofland  . .  Landells  . .     42 

Tail- piece — a  Fly  for  the  Tweed  Drawn  by  J.  Samboubne   ..  Landells  ..    49 

The  Brandling  PaintedbyT.  C.  Hofland..  Vaset .52 

Tail-piece — SaJmon-trout  Fly  ..  Drawn  by  J.  Samboubne   .     Landells  ..     53 

"'rf^iSfS"*"'"]  P-ntedb,T.C.Ho.L«i...  Tbokp.om..    64 


xxii  author's  preface. 

A  landscape  painter,  to  become  intimate  with 
the  varieties  of  Nature,  must  travel  much,  for  the 
piu^ose  of  storing  his  mind  and  sketch-book  with 
images  of  all  that  is  subUme,  beautiful,  or  pic- 
turesque in  landscape.  Strongly  impressed  with 
this  conviction,  I  have  been  led,  from  a  desire  of 
improvement  in  my  profession,  to  visit,  from  time 
to  time,  the  finest  scenery  in  the  United  Kingdom ; 
and,  during  my  summer  excursions,  the  fly-rod 
has  generally  accompanied  the  sketching-stool,  so 
that  I  have  been  alike  "  armed  for  either  field." 
Under  these  circumstances,  I  became  acquainted 
with  our  principal  rivers,  lakes,  and  trout-streams, 
and  have  tried  my  skill  in  most  of  them  at  all 
times  and  seasons,  but  principally  in  the  art  of 
angUng  for  trout.  The  kind  of  knowledge  thus 
gained  wiU,  I  trust,  in  connexion  with  my  pro- 
fessional observations,  render  me  a  useful  guide 
alike  to  the  amateur  painter  and  the  lover  of 
angling. 

My  general  residence  on  the  banks  of  the 
Thames  has  given  me  many  opportunities  of  ob- 
serving and  comparing  the  various  modes  of 
angling  practised  in  that  noble  river ;  and  all  the 
remarks  on  Thames  fishing  are  the  results  of 


author's  preface.  XXlll 

experience,  as  I  have  visited  every  favourite  resort 
of  the  angler,  from  London  to  Reading. 

In  my  account  of  the  different  fishing-stations, 
I  have  endeavoured  to  lead  the  tourist  to  the 
most  beautiful    scenery   on   the  banks   of  the 
streams  described,  to  the  best  points  for  angling, 
and  to  the  most   comfortable  inns  for  enter- 
tainment.    In  this  part  of  the  work,  I  flatter 
myself,  much  original  information  will  be  found, 
as  I  am  not  acquainted  with  any  author  who  has 
conducted  the   angler  to  the  numerous   trout- 
streams  in  the  northern  counties,  or  to  fhe  grand 
and  romantic    lake    scenery   of  Westmoreland, 
Cumberland,  and  the  Highlands  of  Scotland.    The 
excellent  Walton,  and  his  instructive  and  enter- 
taining pupil.  Cotton,  have,  indeed,  made  us  in- 
timately acquainted  with  the  delightful  Dove; 
and  other  writers  have  described  the  Thames,  the 
Lea,  and  various  waters  in  the  vicinity  of  London, 
where  the  angler  may  exercise  his  art;   but  a 
guide  to  the  Tourist  was  still  wanting,  and  I 
trust  the  opportunities  given  to  me,  as  an  artist, 
of  visiting  most  parts  of  Great  Britain,  combined 
vdth  many  years'  practical  experience,  have  enabled 
rae  to  become  that  guide. 


Xxiv  AUTHOR^S  PREFACE. 

The  embeUishments  of  the  work  consist  of 
views  selected  from  stations  where  the  sport  to  be 
found  on  the  river  or  lake  may  give  to  the  angler 
an  additional  interest  in  the  scene ;  with  accurate 
delineations  of  the  various  kinds  of  fish,  a  nu- 
merous Kst  of  artificial  flies,  and  of  the  baits  and. 
materials  used  in  angling. 

The  art  of  fly-fishing  is  treated  in  a  manner 
entirely  new,  so  that  the  tyro  may  speedily  ac- 
quire a  knowledge  of  the  most  kiQing  flies 
and  their  seasons,  and  may  either  make  them 
himself,  6r  have  them  made  to  pattern ;  as  every 
fly  recommended  in  the  list  is  engraved,  named, 
and  numbered, — a  mode  not  generally  adopted 
by  writers  on  the  subject,  and  the  neglect  of 
which  has  been  a  serious  inconvenience  to  the 
inexperienced  angler. 

In  the  instructions  on  the  art  of  trolling  I  am 
indebted  to  some  of  my  brothers  of  the  angle 
(who  have  made  it  their  particular  and  almost 
exclusive  practice)  for  much  valuable  information, 
which  I  have  combined  with  my  own  practical 
knowledge,  and  have  described  the  rivers,  lakes, 
and  ponds  where  jack  and  pike  most  abound. 

I  have  now  a  pleasant  duty  to  perform,  that 


author's  preface.  XXV 

of  returning  my  grateful  thanks  to  those  kind 
friends  who  assisted  me  in  the  progress  of  my 
work. 

To  Sir  Francis  Chantrey  I  am  indebted  for  a 
sketch,  drawn  by  himself,  from  which  the  wood- 
cut of  a  sluice  on  the  river  Test  is  taken ;  to 
William  Linton,  Esq.,  for  the  loan  of  the  picture 
of  Whitewell,  from  which  the  steel  plate  is  en- 
graved ;  to  George  Hilditch,  Esq.,  for  the  picture 
from  which  the  wood-cut  of  the  carp  and  tench  is 
engraved ;  to  Captain  Richardson,  for  his  method 
of  making  artificial  flies,  recommended  in  the 
seventeenth  chapter,  and  to  Lister  Parker,  Esq., 
for  an  account  of  Whitewell,  a  favourite  resort  of 
north-country  anglers. 

Having  thus  briefly  submitted  my  plans  and 
pretensions  to  the  reader,  I  have,  in  conclusion, 
to  solicit  his  candour,  and  to  deprecate  the  se- 
verity  of  criticism,  as  an  artist  whose  indispensable 
studies  occupy  the  chief  part  of  his  life,  may 
plead  for  some  indulgence  as  to  deficiency  in 
elegance  of  style  and  accuracy  of  composition.  It 
will  make  me  most  happy,  and  suffice  to  reward 
my  labour,  if,  in  leading  the  reader  to  those 
scenes  which  I  have  frequented  with  such  pure 


xxvi  author's  preface. 

delight,  I  can  impart  a  portion  of  the  pleasure  I 
have  myself  experienced,  and  thus  tend  to  the 
improvement  or  amusement  of  the  British 
Angler. 

T.    C.    HOFLAND. 


Bradmore  House,  Hammersmith, 
May  1,  1839. 


INTRODUCTION. 


Sacred  and  profane  history  alike  prove  the  anti- 
quity of  angling;  the  Book  of  Job  and  the  prophet 
Amos  speak  of  fish-hooks  as  well-known  implements  in 
the  hands  of  ancient  anglers ;  and  Plutarch  gives  us  a 
scene  between  the  Queen  of  Egypt  and  her  infatuated 
lover,  which  proves  that  Mark  Antony,  whatever  might 
have  been  his  personal  accomplishments,  was  a  very 
indifferent  brother  of  the  angle.  Nor  was  this  em- 
ployment then  held  to  be  cruel  (and  thence  unjusti- 
fiable), for  He  who  "  went  about  doing  good^'  chose  the 
greater  number  of  his  apostles  from  amongst  fishermen; 
and,  on  one  occasion,  said  expressly  to  a  disciple,  '^  Go 
thou  to  the  sea  and  cast  an  hook,  and  take  the  first  fish 
that  Cometh,^'  which  may  surely  be  considered  a  suffi- 
cient answer  to  those  whose  extreme  and  somewhat 
morbid  sensibility  may  have  been  awakened  by  the 
poetic  vituperations  of  Lord  Byron,  or  the  exaggerated 
descriptions  of  the  clever  Horace  Smith. 

Past  times  and  present,  equally  prove  that  learned 
and  good  men — those  pre-eminently  distinguished  for 
amenity  of  temper  and  piety  of  life — have  been  lovers 
of  the  art  of  angling.  The  amiable  and  excellent  Izaak 
Walton  thus  speaks  of  those  he  deemed  most  remark- 


XXVlll  INTRODUCTION. 

able : — "  I  might  here  enlarge,  by  telling  you  that 
commendation  our  learned  Perkins  bestows  on  'angling, 
and  how  dear  a  lover  and  great  a  practiser  of  it  our 
learned  Dr.  Whittaker  was,  as,  indeed,  many  others  of 
great  learning  have  been.  But  I  will  content  myself 
with  two  men,  who  lived  near  to  our  own  time,  whom  I 
also  take  to  have  been  ornaments  to  the  art  of  angling. 
"The  first  is  Dr.  Nowel,  sometime  Dean  of  the 
cathedral  church  of  St.  Paul's,  London,  1550,  where 
his  monument  stands  yet  undefaced.  A  man  that,  after 
the  reformation  of  EUzabeth  (not  that  of  Henry  the 
Eighth),  was  so  noted  for  his  meek  spirit,  deep  learning, 
prudence,  and  piety,  that  the  then  parliament  and  con- 
vocation, both  chose,  enjoined,  and  trusted  him  to  be 
the  man  to  make  a  catechism  for  public  use ;  such  a 
one  as  should  stand  for  a  rule  of  faith  and  manners  to 
their  posterity ;  and  the  good  old  man,  knowing  that 
God  leads  us  not  to  Heaven  by  many,  nor  by  hard 
questions,  like  an  honest  angler,  made  that  good,  plain, 
and  unperplexed  catechism,  which  is  printed  with  our 
good  old  service-book.  I  say,  this  good  man  was  a 
dear  lover,  and  constant  practiser  of  angling,  as  any 
age  can  produce ;  and  his  custom  was,  to  spend,  besides 
his  fixed  hours  for  prayer,  those  hours  which,  by  com- 
mand of  the  church,  were  enjoined  the  clergy,  and 
voluntarily  dedicated  to  devotion  by  many  primitive 
Christians :  I  say,  besides  those  hours,  this  good  man 
was  observed  to  spend  a  tenth  part  of  his  time  in 
angling;  and  also  (for  I  have  conversed  with  those 
who  have  conversed  with  him)  to  bestow  a  tenth  part 


/ 


INTEODUCTION.  XXIX 

of  his  revenue,  and  usually  all  his  fish,  amongst  the 
poor  that  inhabited  near  to  those  rivers  in  which  it 
was  caught,  saying,  often,  that  ^Charity  gave  life  to 
religion/ 

'^  My  next,  and  last  example  shall  be,  that  under- 
valuer  of  money,  the  late  Provost  of  Eton  College,  Sir 
Henry  Wotton,  a  man  with  whom  I  have  often  fished 
and  conversed ;  a  man  whose  foreign  employments  in 
the  service  of  this  nation,  and  whose  experience,  learn- 
ing, wit,  and  cheerfulness,  made  his  company  to  be 
esteemed  one  of  the  delights  of  mankind :  this  man, 
whose  very  approbation  of  angling  were  suflScient  to 
convince  any  modest  censurer  of  it ;  this  man  was  also 
a  most  dear  lover  and  a  frequent  practiser  of  the  art  of 
angling,  of  which  he  would  say,  '  'Twas  an  employment 
for  his  idle  time,  which  was  then  not  idly  spent,'  for 
angling  was,  after  tedious  study,  ^  a  rest  to  his  mind,  a 
cheerer  of  his  spirits,  a  diverter  of  sadness,  a  calmer  of 
unquiet  thoughts,  a  moderator  of  passions,  a  procurer 
of  contentedness,'  and  ^that  it  begat  habits  of  peace 
and  patience  in  those  that  professed  and  practised  it/'' 

Thus  wrote  the  venerable  Walton,  and  in  our  own 
day  we  may  instance  Sir  Humphry  Davy,  who,  not- 
withstanding the  importance  and  variety  of  his  scientific 
investigations,  was  also  the  author  of  "  Salmonia : " 
Archdeacon  Paley,  who,  in  reply  to  an  inquiry  after  the 
progress  of  one  of  those  immortal  works,  now  so  uni- 
versally estimated,  said,  "it  would  be  continued  so 
soon  as  the  fishing  season  was  over ; "  Sir  F.  Chantrey, 
Sir  Anthony  Carlisle,  Professor  Wilson,  and  the  late 


XXXU  INTRODUCTION. 

able  to  produce  a  close  imitation  of  them.  The  follow- 
ing lines^  by  Gray,  give  a  lively  picture  of  this  part  of 
the  angler's  labours : — 

**  He  shakes  the  bonghs  that  on  the  margm  grow, 
Which  o^er  the  stream  a  waving  forest  throw, 
When,  if  an  insect  fall  (his  certain  guide), 
He  gently  takes  him  from  the  whirling  tide. 
Examines  well  his  form  with  curious  eyes, 
His  gaudy  vest,  his  wings,  his  horns,  and  size ; 
Then  round  the  hook  the  chosen  fur  he  winds, 
And  on  the  back  a  speckled  feather  binds  ; 
So  just  the  colours  shine  through  every  part, 
That  nature  seems  to  live  again  in  art/' 

Thomson  has  also  given  a  captivating  interest  to 
the  insect  tribes ;  and  I  believe  there  are  few  lovers  of 
nature  who  will  not  find  amusement  and  instruction  in 
contemplating  these  minute  but  most  wonderful  pro- 
ductions of  the  Creator. 

Walton  has  very  justly  styled  anghng  ^^the  con- 
templative man's  recreation ;"  for  the  practice  of  it  is, 
indeed,  eminently  calculated  to  still  the  stormy  passions 
of  the  breast,  and  lead  to  the  calm  and  tranquil  plea- 
sures arising  from  frequent  meditation  on  the  beauties 
of  nature.  This  dehghtful  old  author  has  so  skilfully 
defended  his  favourite  art  against  the  sneers  of  ignorance 
and  prejudice,  that  it  would  be  presumptuous  in  me  to 
enlarge  on  the  subject ;  and  I  shall,  therefore,  be  con- 
tent to  observe,  that  I  beUeve  the  art  of  angling  to  be 
an  innocent,  entertaining,  and  a  healthful  pursuit,  and 
calculated  to  be  equally  useful  and  amusing  to  men  of 
studious  habits  and  sedentary  occupations. 


ON  THE  MATERIALS  USED  IN  ANGLING. 

It  is  impossible  to  become  a  successfiil  angler, 
without  Bach  a  complete  and  well-arranged  aasortment 
of  tackle  as  will  enable  you  to  be  prepared  for  all  times, 
seasons,  and  circamstauces ;  and  a  true  brother  of  the 
craft  will  find  much  to  amuse  him  in  the  exercise  of 
his  ingenuity  in  making  and  repairing  lines,  flies,  &c., 
and  in  the  orderly  disposition  of  the  materiak  of  his 
art :  of  which  the  following  is  a  list : — 

Rods  for  salmon-fishing,  trolling,  spinning  the 
minnow  and  bleak,  fly-fishing,  and  angling  at  the 
bottom. 

Lines  of  hair,  silkworm  gut,  Indian  weed,  plaited 
silk  and  hair,  and  patent  hue  for  trolling. 


2  THE  BRITISH 

Winches,  or  reels,  for  running  tackle. 

Hooks  for  trolling,  on  wire  or  gymp,  for  the  gorge, 
the  snap,  &c. 

Bleak  and  minnow  tackle,  and  baiting-needles,  of 
various  sizes. 

Hooks  tied  on  gut,  from  No.  4  to  No.  12. 

Hooks  tied  on  hair,  from  No.  10  to  No.  13. 

Loose  hooks  of  all  sizes. 

Paternosters  for  perch-fishing. 

Shoemakers^  wax,  and  sewing  silk. 

Floats  of  various  sizes,  and  caps  for  floats. 

Split  shot  and  plummets,  for  taking  the  depths  of 
the  water. 

Disgorger,  clearing-ring,  and  drag. 

Landing-net,  a  gafl^,  and  kettle  for  live  bait. 

Gentle-box,  and  bags  for  woyms. 

A  fishing-basket,  creel,  or  game  pouch. 

A  pair  of  pliers,  a  pair  of  scissors,  and  a  penknife. 

A  book  of  artificial  flics. 

A  book  of  general  tackle. 

A  book  containing  materials  for  making  artificial 
flies,  the  necessary  contents  of  which  will  be  described 
under  the  article  on  fly-making.* 

*  Mr.  Coleman,  No.  4  Haymarket,  makes  very  useful  knives  for 
anglers.  There  is  a  short  hammer  at  one  end  to  kill  fish,  a  saw  at  the 
back  of  the  blade  to  rub  through  the  scales  when  the  fish  is  to  be 
crimped,  and  a  sharp  blade  for  crimping  :  a  disgorger  might  be  added 
to  run  down  the  shaft  for  taking  hooks  from  the  mouths  of  pike  when 
spinning. — Ed. 


bV 


ANGLER^S    MANUAL. 


RODS. 

Choice  rods  are  of  the  utmost  consequence  to  the 
angler's  success^  and  various  instructions  have  been 
given,  by  different  authors,  for  selecting  proper  kinds  of 
wood  for  the  purpose,  and  the  method  of  making  them ; 
but  as  excellent  rods  of  every  description  are  now  to 
be  purchased  in  almost  every  part  of  the  United  King- 
dom, I  will  only  recommend  those  made  by  Mr.  Ed- 
mondson  of  Liverpool,  and  those  who  try  his  rods  will 
thank  me  for  having  done  so. 

The  joints  of  his  rods  always  fit  securely.  They 
are  perfectly  straight  when  put  together,  and  spring 
equally  in  all  parts,  from  the  butt  to  the  top,  when 
bent. 

That  which  is  commonly  termed  "  a  general  rod,'' 
will  be  found  most  useful  to  the  traveller  who  has  not 
an  opportunity  of  carrying  more  than  one  with  him  at  a 
time,  it  being  so  contrived  that  it  may  be  used  either  for 
fly-fishing,  trolling,  or  bottom-fishing,  as  the  butt  of  the 
rod  is  bored  and  contains  several  spare  tops,  i,e.  one  for 
the  fly,  one  for  spinning  the  minnow,  one  for  the  float, 
and  another  for  trolling — the  whole  being  conveniently 
packed  up  in  a  canvass  bag. 

Although  this  kind  of  rod  will  be  found  highly  ser- 
viceable on  many  occasions,  I  would  by  no  means  recom- 
mend the  use  of  it  when  you  have  an  opportunity  of 
employing  separate  and  appropriate  rods  for  the  differ- 


4  THE    BRITISH 

ent  kinds  of  angling.  The  rods  used  exclusively  for  fly- 
fishing should  be  as  light  as  possible^  consistent  with 
strength,  and  if  for  throwing  with  one  hand,  not  more 
than  from  twelve  to  fourteen  feet  long,  and  if  with  both 
hands,  not  more  than  from  sixteen  to  eighteen  feet. 
Indeed,  a  rod  shorter  than  either  of  these  would  be 
found  very  convenient  in  a  narrow,  closely  wooded 
stream,  where  it  is  frequently  necessary  to  force  your 
fly  with  a  short  line  under  overhanging  bushes. 

I  am  acquainted  with  some  excellent  anglers  in  the 
north  of  England,  who  cannot  be  persuaded  to  use  any 
other  fly-rod  than  one  composed  of  two  pieces  only, 
and  spliced  in  the  middle ;  but  this  is  inconvenient  to 
carry,  and  the  jointed  rods  are  now  brought  to  such 
perfection,  that  I  feel  assured  they  will  answer  every 
purpose  of  the  spliced  rods,  besides  being  much  more 
portable.  The  Irish  fly-rods  are  screwed  together  at 
each  joint,  and  are  much  more  elastic  than  the  English 
rods. 

THE    TROLLING-ROD 

Should  be  very  strong,  and  not  less  than  twelve  nor 
more  than  sixteen  feet  in  length,  with  large  rings  upon 
it,  that  the  line  may  run  freely.  A  new  ring  has  lately 
been  invented,  which  does  not  cut  the  line. 

The  rod  for  spinning  a  minnow,  or  bleak,  should  be 
of  bamboo  cane,  and  from  eighteen  to  twenty  feet  long, 
with  a  tolerably  stiff  top ;  the  rings  should  be  placed 


angler's  manual. 


at  a  moderate  distance  from  each  other,  and  be  of  the 
middle  size. 

The  barbel  rod,  for  angling  with  the  ledger  bait, 
should  have  a  stiflf  top,  and  be  about  eleven  or  twelve 
feet  in  length ;  but  for  float-fishing  it  must  be  much 
Ughter  and  something  longer. 

The  rod  for  roach  and  dace  should  be  of  bamboo 
cane,  and  if  for  bank-fishing,  from  eighteen  to  twenty 
feet  long ;  but  if  for  angling  from  a  punt,  not  more 
than  eleven  or  twelve  feet.  It  must  be  very  light, 
perfectly  taper,  and  of  a  proper  degree  of  elasticity,  as 
the  angler^s  success  in  roach  and  dace-fishing  will 
depend  upon  his  dexterity  and  quickness  in  striking 
when  he  has  a  bite.  Many  anglers  never  fish  without 
running-tackle,  that  they  may  be  always  prepared  to 
encounter  a  large  fish;  but  they  must  not  hope  to 
meet  with  the  same  sport  in  roach  and  dace-fishing  as 
those  do  who  use  a  light  rod  without  rings,  and  a  short 
line,  when  the  chance  of  striking  your  fish  is  much 
more  certain. 


LINES. 


The  best  lines  for  running-tackle  are  composed  of 
silk  and  hair,  of  difierent  degrees  of  strength  and  thick- 
ness, according  to  the  purpose  for  which  they  are  in- 
tended. For  salmon-fishing,  a  strong  winch  or  pirn, 
large  enough  to  contain  from  eighty  to  one  hundred 
yards  of  line,  is  requisite,  and  for  trout,  a  brass  reel, 


b  THE    BRIT1SB 

containing  from  thirty  to  forty  yards  of  line,  gradually 
tapering  to  a  few  hairs  at  the  end,  where  a  foot  link  of 
gut  containing  the  fliea  is  to  be  fixed.* 

^Ikwonn  gut-lines  are  from  two  to  four  yarde,  and 
are 
eitl 


sol( 
fort 


ANGLER^S    MANUAL. 


running-line  by  a  fine  steel  swivel.  It  contains  three 
hooks,  the  size  Nos.  7,  8,  or  9,  placed  at  equal  distances 
from  each  other ;  the  first  near  the  bottom,  where  a 
small  plummet  of  lead  is  fixed  to  sink  the  liue,  and 
the  others  each  from  eighteen  inches  to  two  feet  apart. 
The  hooks  are  so  contrived  by  swivels  as  to  revolve 
round  the  line,  and  thereby  give  play  to  the  live  min- 
nows with  which  they  are  to  be  baited. 


FLOATS. 


Much  care  and  judgment  are  required  in  adapting 
your  float  to  the  various  streams,  or  waters,  in  which 
you  angle.  A  deep  and  rapid  river  will  require  a  float 
that  will  carry  from  sixteen  to  twenty  of  No.  4  shot. 
If  the  stream  be  deep  and  the  current  gentle,  a  float 
carrying  one  half  that  number  of  shot  will  be  sufficiently 
heavy,  and  when  the  water  is  perfectly  still,  a  very 
light  quill-float,  carrying  two  of  No.  6  shot,  should  be 
used ;  and  I  may  remark  here,  that  the  smaller  your 
;,  the  fewer  the  number  of  shot,  and  the  finer  your 
^m-tackle,  the  greater  will  be  your  success. 
I'he  tip-capped  float  is  the  best  for  pond-fishing  and 
•ntle  streams,  as  the  line  is  confined  at  each  end  of 
^oat  by  a  cap,  which  enables  you  to  strike  a  fish 
cheater  precision  than  with  a  plugged  float,  which 
yire  ring  at  the  bottom  for  the  line  to  run 

hotting  the  line,  I  prefer  a  number  of  small  shot 


a  anolehs  manual. 

to  a  few  lai^e  ones,  as  they  make  less  disturbance  in 

the  water. 

1  the 
ms  it 
it;  in 
ibove 

Bome 
(van's 


ed  as 
ad  be 
ading 
;ht  to 
3  gaff 
reach 


CHAPTER  II. 
BAITS. 
The  most  universal  natural  bait  used  in  angling  is 
the  worm.  It  may  be  employed  successfully  for  every 
kind  of  fresh-water  fish,  with  the  exception  of  the  pike 
and  the  char,  and  even  the  pike  may,  I  beheve,  be 
sometimes  taken  with  a  lai^  lob-worm. 

THE    LOB-WOBM,  OE   DEW-WORM, 

Is  in  season  from  the  beginning  of  May  till  Sep- 
tember, and  may  be  taken  with  a  candle  and  lantern, 
at  night,  on  any  common  or  green  where  the  grass  is 
short,  and  will  be  found  an  excellent  bait  for  salmon, 
trout,  barbel,  and  eelsj  it  is  also  used  as  ground-bait 
for  barbel-fishing.  There  are  several  sorts  of  lob- 
worms, the  best  of  which  is  the  aquirrel-tiul ;  it  has 
a  red  head,  a  streak  down  the  back,  and  a  broad  flat 

Note. — Worm-fiehing  a  perfectly  uiinecesBsry,  M  well  aa  cruel. 
Minnons,  real  or  artificial,  genties  and  cadis  worms  (which  die  tlie 
moment  the  hook  paseea  through  them),  and  gravea,  for  harbel,  are 
ejcellent  subatitutes  for  vanua.  It  ia  time  that  Uie  use  of  them 
ehonld  be  abandoned. — Ed. 


10  THE    BRITISH 

tail.  The  small  maiden  lob,  without  a  ring,  is  the 
best  bait  for  trout. 

THE    MARSH-WORM 

Is  smaller  than  the  lob-worm,  and  of  a  paler  colour, 
with  a  broad  flat  tail.  It  is  an  excellent  bait  for  trout, 
when  well  scoured,  and  two  of  them  may  be  used  on 
one  hook. 

THE    BRANDLING 

Has  been  a  great  favourite  with  all  writers  on 
angling,  but  my  experience  does  not  confirm  all  that 
has  been  said  in  its  favour.  I  very  much  prefer  a  red 
worm  for  the  purposes  for  which  the  brandling  is  re- 
commended. The  brandling  is  streaked  from  head  to 
tail  in  round  ringlets,  alternately  red  and  yellow,  and 
is  found  in  old  dunghills,  but  chiefly  where  various 
kinds  of  dung  are  mixed  together,  and  in  decayed  tan- 
ners^ bark.  It  is  considered  a  fine  bait  for  trout, 
perch,  and  eels. 

THE    LITTLE  GILT-TAIL,  OR  TAG-WORM, 

Is  of  a  pale  yellow  towards  the  tail,  and  knotted  like 
the  dunghill  red  worm,  and  found  in  old  horse-dung. 

THE  RED  WORM. 

This  worm  is  small  and  of  a  bright  red ;  it  is  found 
in  old  manure  heaps,  in  decayed  tanners^  bark,  and  on 
the  borders  of  old  drains.     It  is  impossible  to  speak 


angler's  manual.  11 

too  highly  of  the  value  of  this  worm  to  the  angler,  as 
almost  every  kind  of  fresh-water  fish  will  take  it 
eagerly.  I  have  taken  trout,  in  small  bright  streams, 
in  the  months  of  July  and  August,  with  a  single  red 
wrorm  and  single  hair,  when  no  other  mode  would  take 
a  fish.  It  is  the  only  sure  bait  for  a  gudgeon ;  also 
an  excellent  bait  for  perch;  and,  when  the  water  is 
coloured  by  a  fresh,  it  is  equally  good  for  roach  and 
dace.  I  strongly  recommend  my  brothers  of  the  angle 
never  to  visit  the  Thames  or  the  Lea  without  being  well 
stored  with  red  worms,  or  the  small  blood-worm. 

THE  SEGG-WORM 

Is  commonly  found  in  the  hollow  parts  of  seggs,  near 
the  roots ;  he  has  a  black  head  and  a  whitish  body,  and 
is  a  good  bait  to  fish  with  where  seggs  grow. 

THE  PEACOCK  RED,  OR  BLACK-HEADED  RED  WORM, 

Is  found  under  cow-dung  or  horse-dung,  three  parts 
dried,  in  the  fields,  from  the  latter  end  of  April  until 
the  beginning  of  August,  but  chiefly  under  cow-dung. 
He  is  also  found  under  stones  in  the  bed  of  a  river, 
and  is  a  good  trout-worm. 

HOW  TO  BAIT  HOOKS  WITH  WORMS. 

To  bait  with  a  single  worm,  enter  the  point  of  the 
hook  a  Uttle  below  the  head,  threading  it  carefully, 


12  THE    BRITISH 

without  breaking  or  bruising  it,  to  within  a  quarter  of 
an  inch  of  the  tail,  and  the  shank  of  the  hook  must  be 
well  covered  with  the  worm. 

To  bait  with  two  worms  on  a  hook,  enter  your  hook 
at  the  head  of  the  first  worm  and  bring  it  out  at  the 
middle,  and  then  draw  it  over  the  arming  of  your  hook 
on  to  the  line;  then  enter  the  hook  at  the  middle  of 
the  second  worm,  and  bring  it  up  to  within  one  quar- 
ter of  an  inch  of  the  head;  draw  down  the  first  worm 
till  it  meet  the  second,  and  your  bait  will  then  travel 
fireely  on  the  bottom. 

The  common  mode,  with  Thames  anglers,  of  baiting 
a  hook  for  barbel  or  eels,  with  a  single  lob-worm,  is  to 
enter  the  point  of  the  hook  at  the  head,  and  to  bring  it 
carefully  down  to  within  a  quarter  of  an  inch  of  the 
tail ;  and  if  the  worm  be  very  large,  a  part  of  it  may 
be  drawn  above  the  arming  of  the  hook  on  to  the  line. 

TO  SCOUR  AND  PRESERVE  WORMS. 

An  angler  should  be  always  provided  with  well- 
scoured  worms,  as  they  are  more  lively,  bright,  and 
tough,  than  when  first  taken  firom  the  earth.  There 
are  various  modes  recommended  for  scouring  worms, 
but  clean  moss  alone  will  answer  every  purpose  re- 
quired. Moss  may  be  easily  procured  in  almost  every 
part  of  the  country,  and,  in  London,  may  be  purchased 
in  Covent  Garden:  it  should  be  well  washed  and 
squeezed  till  nearly  dry,  and  then  placed  in  an  earthen 


ANGLER^S    MANUAL.  13 

pan  to  receive  the  worms,  which  will  be  ready  for  use 
in  four  or  five  days.  Great  care  must  be  taken  to  keep 
the  moss  sweet  and  clean,  by  changing  it  every  three 
or  four  days,  or  by  well  washing  it ;  and  if  any  of  the 
worms  are  found  to  be  in  a  sickly  state,  or  dead,  they 
must  be  removed,  or  they  will  destroy  the  sweetness  of 
the  moss,  and  thereby  greatly  injm*e  the  healthy  worms. 

GENTLES,  OR  MAGGOTS. 

The  gentle  is  a  universal  bait,  and  will  take  any 
kind  of  fresh-water  fish,  save  salmon,  pike,  and  char. 
Perch  and  gudgeon  will  sometimes  take  a  gentle,  but 
Mr.  Jesse '*''  has  made  a  great  mistake  in  his  ^^  Thames 
Pishing,^'  where  he  says,  "the  bait  for  a  gudgeon 
should  be  gentles,'^  for,  unquestionably,  the  only  sure 
bait  for  a  gudgeon  is  a  well-scoured  red  worm ;  but 
for  trout,  grayling,  barbel,  chub,  roach,  dace,  and 
bleak,  there  is  not  a  more  killing  bait  than  the  gentle. 
Carp,  tench,  and  bream,  will  also  take  this  bait,  but 
not  so  freely  as  a  red  worm. 

The  later  in  the  season,  the  greater  will  be  your 
success  with  the  gentle,  and  from  October  to  Christ- 
mas no  other  bait  need  be  used  for  the  grayling. 

TO  BREED  AND  PRESERVE  GENTLES,  OR  MAGGOTS. 

Take  a  piece  of  bullock's  liver,  and  score  it  with 
a  knife,  and  suspend  it  by  a  stick  over  a  tub,  or  barrel, 

*  Mr.  Jesse  thinks  otherwise. 


14  THE    BRITISH 

full  of  dry  earth,  clay,  or  sand,  in  the  open  air,  and 
the  gentles  formed  in  the  liver  by  the  blowing  of  the 
flesh-fly,  when  grown  to  a  tolerable  size,  will  fall 
into  the  barrel,  and  scour  themselves,  and  always  be 
ready  for  use  when  wanted. 

Gentles  may  be  thus  produced  from  May  to 
Michaelmas ;  but  if  you  wish  to  preserve  them  through 
the  winter,  procure  a  dead  cat  or  dog,  and  let  it  be 
fly-blown,  and  so  soon  as  the  gentles  begin  to  stii*, 
bury  it  and  them  in  moist  earth,  which  must  be  well 
secured  from  the  frost,  and  they  will  last  till  March, 
and  may  be  dug  up  when  wanted. 

Gentles  may  be  procured  ready  for  use  at  all  tackle- 
shops,  and  most  of  the  tallow-chandlers'  during  the 
summer,  but  these  last  will  generally  require  two  days' 
scouring  in  moist  sand  before  they  are  fit  for  use. 
There  is  no  kind  of  ground-bait  equal  to  gentles  for 
barbel,  roach,  and  dace,  and  they  may  be  procured  for 
sixpence  or  eightpence  a-quart  for  this  purpose,  at  the 
places  where  horses  are  slaughtered,  and,  when  used, 
should  be  put,  three  or  four  dozen  at  a  time,  into  small 
balls  of  clay,  from  whence  they  will  make  their  way 
through  the  clay,  and  draw  the  fish  to  the  spot. 

THE  CADIS,  OR  CAD-BAIT,  AND  STRAW-WORM, 

Are  found  in  the  shallow,  sandy  parts  of  rivers,  small 
brooks,  and  even  in  ditches  near  rivers,  and  are  of 
three  sorts.        The  first  is    a  yellowish  grub,  with  a 


ANGLER^S    MANUAL.  15 

reddish  head^  and  is  covered  with  a  case  or  husk  of 
straw,  bark,  bits  of  rushes,  particles  of  gravel,  &c.,  and 
with  this  covering  to  shelter  it,  is  enabled,  by  pro- 
truding its  head,  to  creep  on  the  bottom  of  the  water, 
where  it  is  found. 

There  is  another  kind,  called  the  straw-worm,  and, 
I  have  no  doubt,  there  are  several  other  varieties,  each 
producing  a  different  sort  of  fly,  such  as  the  stone-fly, 
the  May-fly,  the  duns,  &c. 

The  cadis  may  be  found  from  the  middle  of  March 
to  the  beginning  of  June,  and  is  an  excellent  bait  for 
trout,  and  chub:  roach  and  dace  will  also  take  it. 
The  most  convenient  mode  of  carrying  these  baits  is  in 
a  tin  box,  with  a  httle  moist  moss,  in  their  own  husk 
or  shell,  from  which  they  must  be  removed  as  they  are 
wanted,  by  pulling  them  out  by  the  head. 

The  hook  which  you  use  for  the  cadis  should  be 
armed  with  a  hog's  bristle,  which,  passing  through  the 
head,  will  keep  the  bait  in  its  proper  place. 

A  hook.  No.  8  or  9,  armed  with  a  hog's  bristle, 
and  with  wings  taken  from  a  mottled  drake's  or  star- 
ling's wing,  is  often  used  for  cadis-fishing,  the  hook 
being  covered  with  the  cadis,  the  head  of  which  is 
held  fast  by  the  bristle. 

THE  COW-DUNG  BOB,  OR  CLAP  BAIT, 

Is  found  in  the  fields  and  old  pastures,  under  cow- 
dung,  from  April   to   Michaelmas;    it    is   something 


16  THE    BRITISH 

larger  than  a  gentle^  has  a  reddish  head^  and  is  a 
capital  bait  for  a  trout,  and  you  may  angle  with  it  either 
at  the  top  or  bottom  of  the  water  with  a  bristled  hook. 
These  baits  may  be  preserved  in  a  tin  box  with  a  little 
of  the  earth  from  which  they  were  taken, 

THE  DOCK-GRUB 

Is  a  large  white  grub  with  a  reddish  head,  and  is 
found  in  the  roots  of  the  common  water-dock  from 
April  to  June.  It  is  a  bait  little  known  or  used,  but  I 
am  not  acquainted  with  a  more  killing  mode  of  trout- 
fishing,  in  the  months  of  April  and  May,  than  by 
dropping  one  of  these  baits  into  a  gentle  stream,  or  a 
still,  deep  hole.  The  hook  should  be  bristled,  and 
a  single  shot  will  be  sufficient  to  sink  the  bait. 

THE    OAK-GRUB 

Is  a  small  green  caterpillar,  and  may  be  procured 
in  the  months  of  June,  July,  and  August,  by  shaking 
the  branches  of  an  oak-tree  over  a  sheet  or  table-cloth ; 
and  they  may  be  preserved  in  a  large  tin  box,  with  a 
few  of  the  oak-leaves  in  it.  I  have  found  this  a  most 
successful  bait,  even  after  the  trout  have  been  glutted 
with  the  May-fly  and  bracken-clock. 

SLUGS. 

The  large  black,  white,  or  grey  slug,  is  a  good  bait 
for  a  trout,  if  an  incision  be  made  down  the  belly. 


ANGLER^S    MANUAL.  17 


BOBS. 


These  are  found  by  following  the  plough,  in  spring 
and  autumn;  they  are  more  than  twice  the  size  of  a 
gentle,  and  have  red  heads,  being  good  baits  for  trout 
and  chub,  from  November  till  April.  A  bristled  hook 
must  be  used,  and  great  care  should  be  taken  in  putting 
them  on  the  hook,  as  their  insides  are  very  soft. 


THE    ASH-GRUB 

Is  found  under  the  oak,  ash,  and  beech,  when 
felled,  and  when  they  have  lain  some  time  on  the 
ground;  also  in  the  hollow  of  those  trees  when  rotten. 
It  is  large  and  white,  and  may  be  used  from  Michael- 
mas to  Jime,  being  an  excellent  bait  for  trout  and 
grayling,  but  is  very  tender,  and  requires  careful 
handUng. 

THE    WASP-GRUB 

Is  found  in  the  comb  of  a  wasp's  nest ;  it  is  a  tender 
bait,  but  good  for  all  the  purposes  for  which  a  gentle  is 
used. 

THE    GRASHOPPER 

Is  found  in  short  dry  grass,  in  the  months  of  June,. 
July,  and  August,  and  is  an  excellent  bait  in  bush- 
fishing  for  trout  and  chub. 

c 


18  THE    BRITISH 

THE    COCKCHAFFER. 

It  is  one  of  the  most  killing  baits  for  chub ;  but 
an  angler  must  keep  himself  well  concealed^  as  chub 
are  very  cautious  fish. 

CREEPERS^    OR   WATER-CRICKETS^ 

Are  found  in  shallow  stony  streams^  near  the  water^s 
edge,  and  you  must  be  very  nimble  in  catching  them, 
or  they  will  creep  very  fast  among  the  sand  and  gravel, 
and  escape  under  the  stones.  They  m\ist  be  kept  in  a 
horn  or  box,  perforated  with  small  holes  to  give  air. 
More  will  be  said  of  this  insect  in  the  chapter  on  trout, 
for  which  it  is  a  killing  bait,  though  for  only  a  short 
season. 

Bullocks'  brains,  and  the  pith  of  a  bullock's  spine, 
are  killing  winter  baits  for  chub,  and  directions  for  using 
them  will  be  given  under  the  article  '^  Chub.'' 

CHEESE. 

Newly  made  soft  cheese  is  a  sure  bait  for  chub  and 
barbie,  and,  if  new  cheese  cannot  be  procured,  old  cheese, 
soaked  in  wet  cloths  two  or  three  days,  will  answer 
nearly  as  well.  I  have  caught  great  numbers  of  chub 
and  barbel  in  the  river  Trent  with  this  bait,  by  using  a 
hook  No.  7,  with  one  or  two  No.  4  shot  on  the  line. 
Select  some  still  and  tolerably  deep  hole  by  the  side  of 


angler's  manual.  19 

an  eddy,  and  let  your  bait  remain  at  the  bottom  till  you 
feel  a  tug  at  your  line. 

GRAVES,   t.  e,    TALLOW-CHANDLERS*    SCRATCHINGS, 

Are  sold  by  the  pound  in  cakes,  and  are  a  killing 
bait  when  scalded  for  barbel,  roach,  and  dace.  They 
must  be  chopped  into  small  pieces,  placed  in  an  earthen 
pan,  and  boiling  water  poured  on  them  till  covered, 
when,  in  one  hour,  the  skinny  particles  will  have  softened 
and  separated,  and  become  fit  for  use  :  when  mixed  with 
clay  and  bran,  they  form  an  excellent  ground-bait ;  about 
two  pounds  will  be  sufficient  for  a  day^s  fishing. 
When  the  graves  are  scalded,  and  before  they  are  mixed 
with  bran  and  clay,  select  as  much  as  will  fill  a  gentle- 
box  of  the  thin  whitish  skins  for  baiting  your  hook : 
use  a  very  small  bait  for  roach  and  dace,  but  a  much 
larger  one  for  barbel.  Graves  should  be  newly  scalded 
for  every  day's  fishing,  for,  if  stale,  they  do  more  harm 
than  good. 

PASTES 

Are  variously  compounded,  but  1  consider  the  fol- 
lowing simple  method  of  making  paste  the  best  for  ge- 
neral use : — 

Take  the  inside  of  a  French  roll,  or  a  piece  of  fine 
white  bread,  nearly  new ;  soak  it  a  few  seconds  in  water, 
then  squeeze  the  water  from  it,  and,  with  very  clean 


20  THE    BRITISH 

hands,  knead  it  and  work  it  patiently  till  it  becomes  a 
perfectly  smooth  and  compact  paste.  This  is  a  good 
bait  for  roach,  dace,  carp,  tench,  and  bream,  in  still 
waters,  or  for  pond-fishing.  Your  hook  should  be  No. 
11  or  12,  and  your  bait  not  larger  than  a  pea. 

Old  cheese,  grated  and  worked  up  into  a  paste  with 
a  little  butter  and  saffiron,  is  a  capital  bait  for  a  chub, 
and  your  bait  may  be  the  size  of  a  hazel-nut. 

If  you  wish  to  colour  your  pastes,  use  a  little  red 
lead  or  turmeric.  The  plain  bread  paste,  first  recom- 
mended, I  have  foimd  a  much  more  killing  bait  for 
bream  than  the  worm  or  gentle. 

SALMON    ROE. 

This  is  the  most  destructive  bait  that  can  be  used, 
and  many  conscientious  anglers  think  it  unfair  to  use  it, 
for  more  reasons  than  one.  In  the  first  place,  the  bait 
can  only  be  procured  by  the  destruction  of  the  salmon, 
and  the  roe  they  contain,  just  before  spawning,  and  at  a 
time  when  the  fish  are  out  of  season ;  and  in  the  second, 
the  use  of  it,  by  some  persons,  is  considered  little  better 
than  poaching.  I  have  heard  of  various  modes  of 
curing  salmon  roe,  and  have  tried  some  of  them,  but 
without  any  great  success.  It  may  be  procured  in  the 
spring,  in  pots,  at  two  shillings  and  sixpence  each, 
at  most  of  the  London  fishing-tackle  shops,  in  great 
perfection. 


ANGLER^S    MANUAL.  21 

In  some  cases  the  salmon  roe  is  made  into  a  paste ; 
in  others,  the  round  red  pellicles  of  the  roe  remain  un- 
broken ;  and  in  this  latter  state  I  prefer  it. 

It  may  be  procured  in  great  perfection  in  the  city 
of  CarUsle,  and  its  neighbourhood,  where  it  is  prepared 
in  considerable  quantities  for  the  London  market.  A 
double  hook,  No.  9,  baited  with  four  or  five  of  the 
pellets  of  roe,  I  prefer  to  the  single  hook ;  but  if  a  single 
hook  is  used,  it  should  be  No.  8;  and  if  the  salmon  paste 
be  the  bait,  a  piece  something  less  than  a  hazel-nut  may 
be  used. 

The  great  value  of  salmon  roe  is  during  the  in- 
crease of  a  fresh  of  water,  when  the  stream  is  large  and 
much  discoloured,  but  it  may  be  employed  successfully 
in  the  deep  eddies  by  the  apron  of  a  mill-tail,  or  in 
the  deep  shady  part  of  a  stream,  even  if  the  water  be 
bright. 

One  shot.  No.  4,  will  generally  be  sufficient  to  sink 
your  bait,  as  you  must  choose  the  stiller  parts  of  the 
stream,  such  as  the  eddies  and  holes  near  the  banks. 
I  have  taken  a  dozen  trout  at  a  standing,  by  letting  the 
bait  drop  gently  to  the  bottom,  in  the  stillest  part  of  the 
eddy,  and  leaving  it  stationary  till  a  tug  was  felt,  when 
the  fish  must  be  instantly  struck,  or  the  bait  will  be  lost 
as  well  as  the  fish. 

Eels  are  fond  of  salmon  roe,  and  will  be  very  trou- 
blesome to  the  trout-fisher  when  using  that  bait. 


22  THE    BRITISH 

GRAINS,    WHEAT,    AND    MALT. 

In  the  river  Trent  at  Nottingham,  fresh  grains  are 
a  favourite  ground-bait  for  roach  and  dace.  The  fish 
are  attracted  to  the  spot  by  handsful  of  grains  thrown 
from  the  bank,  and  one  or  two  grains  which  have  not 
been  broken  may  be  selected  to  bait  your  hook,  No.  13, 
with.  Wheat,  or  malt,  boiled  in  milk  till  soft,  and  the 
husk  partly  removed,  is  also  an  excellent  bait  for  roach 
and  dace,  either  in  winter  or  summer. 

The  various  kinds  of  fish  and  flies  used  as  baits  will 
be  described  under  the  heads  of  fly-fishing,  bush-fishing, 
trolling,  &c. 

GROUND-BAITS 

Have  been  already  partly  described — for  barbel  and 
dace-fishing  nothing  better  can  be  used  than  a  mixture 
of  graves,  bran,  and  clay,  made  into  moderate-sized 
balls.  Gentles,  placed  in  the  middle  of  clay-balls,  make 
a  first-rate  ground-bait,  for  drawing  together  roach, 
dace,  and  barbel ;  but  if  you  angle  for  roach  alone,  in 
September,  October,  and  November,  use  a  ground-bait 
made  of  bread  and  bran,  well  kneaded  together,  until 
they  form  a  paste.  This  must  be  made  into  small  balls, 
a  stone  being  placed  in  the  centre  of  each  in  order  to 
sink  it.  The  bread  should  be  soaked  in  water  half  an 
hour  before  it  is  used.  The  above  ground-baits  are 
also  good  for  carp  and  tench. 


&N0LEB8    MANUAL.  23 

The  garbage,  or  entrails,  of  fowls  or  ducks,  if  thrown 
over-night  into  the  place  where  you  intend  to  angle  on 
the  following  morning,  will  promote  your  success  in 
fishing  for  carp  and  tench. 

Note — TTiere  is,  however,  no  better  mode  of  attractiiig  fleh  to  a 
particular  spot  than  that  of  hanging  a  dead  dog  or  cat,  or  a  piece  of 
horse-flesh,  on  a  branch  of  a  tree  over  a  etream  or  a  pond.  Ilie 
ma^ote  graduall;  fall  into  the  water,  and  collect  the  fish. — Ed. 


ara^ 


r^ 


In  tl 
British  rj 
tific  desc 
observatii 
the  angl 

The  1 
food,  its 
of  all  out 

Salm 
rally  in 


CHAPTER    III. 

THF  SALMON. 


angleb's  manual.  35 

"  North-Country  Angler"  appears  to  have  been  an  accu- 
rate ohserver,  I  shall  transcribe  his  account  of  some  of 
the  habits  of  this  fish,  so  little  understood,  evea  by 
naturalists  of  the  present  day;  at  least  I  am  inclined  to 
think  BO,  from  the  great  contrariety  of  opinions  I  find 
in  the  various  authors  who  have  written  on  the  subject. 
"  Where  plenty  of  sahnon  are  taken  in  locks,  or 
nets,  it  is  easy  to  observe  when  the  spawn  begins  to 
grow   in  them,  which,  in  some,  may  be  seen  in  the 
beginning  of  April,  in  others  not  till  May,  as  they  have 
got  up  the  river  and  spawned,  and  gone  down  to  sea 
again,  the  preceding  year.     For  some  time,  there  not 
being  proper  floods  to  bring  them  down  to  the  tide, 
they  will  he  a  month  or  six  weeks  in  the  fresh-water 
ind  such  fish 
»vering  when 
r  first  having 
,  is  generaUy 
five  of  which 
Jier  creatures 
as  hens,  &c. 
em,  aa  in  the 
and  Ireland, 
water  several 
fresh,'  as  the 
reat  flood  and 

are  necessary 


THE  BRITISH 

health,  so  there  are  some  reasons  that  in  a 
>rce  them  to  it ;  for  wlien  they  have  been  too 
le  sea,  and  have  lain  among  the  rocks  and  the 
the  sea-lice  get  on  to  them,  and  stick  so  close, 

them  BO  uneasy,  that  they  will  rub  the  very 
when  the  lice  bite  them,  and  nothing  cures 
hese  tormentors  so  soon  as  the  fresh  water ; 
again,  when  they  have  been  about  a  month  in 

and  lie  under  banks,  roots,  or  stones,  the 
2r  bee  creep  on  to  them,  and  force  them  to 
,  again,  to  be  freed  from  them,  which  the  salt 
B  effectually.  And  here  I  must  observe,  how 
ition  of  these  creatures  answers  the  same  end 
^nce  with  that  of  woodcocks,  quails,  &c.,  and 
nds  of  iish  that  go  round  our  island  at  their 
asons,  and  furnish  all  the  neighbouring  in- 

with  delicious  food.  But  the  sea-lice  are 
iblesome  to  the  salmon  when  they  grow  big- 
iwards  the  end  of  August  and  the  beginning 
iber,  for  then  they  are  heavier  and  lazier,  and 

among  the  rocks,  and  get  more  Uce  upon 
d  this  forces  them  into  the  fresh  river  on  a 
count,  to  be  eased  of  the  vermin  and  of  their 
urthen  too.  At  this  time  their  skin  grows 
lan  in  summer,  and  of  a  duskish  coppery 
I  make  them  endure  the  cold  of  the  winter 
le  better.  At  this  time,  also,  the  milter  is 
Jnguished  from  the  roe,  for  now,  at  the  end  of 


, 


1 


i 


J 


^ 

^ 


angler's  manual.  27 

his  lower  chop,  there  grows  a  hard  hony  gib,  from 
which  they  are  then  called  gib-fishes,  larger  or  less, 
according  to  the  age  or  size  of  the  salmon ;  in  some, 
above  an  inch  long  and  taper ;  and  this  gib,  as  it  grows, 
makes  for  itself  a  socket,  or  hole,  in  the  upper  jaw, 
which  nails  up  his  mouth  when  it  is  shut ;  and,  besides, 
all  the  fore  part  of  the  head  is  at  this  time  more  tough 
and  bony. 

^^  This  is  one  of  the  numberless  works  of  the  God 
of  nature,  by  which  the  fish  is  armed  and  prepared  for 
the  work  he  has  to  do  when  he  arrives  at  the  proper 
places  for  spawning. 

"  At  what  particular  time  they  choose  their  mates, 
and  pair,  like  most  other  creatures,  none  of  our  books 
on  angling  tell  us,  but  I  suppose  it  must  be  as  they 
come  up  the  rivers  in  shoals  of  three  or  four  hundred 
together ;  and  who  knows  but  they  may  keep  to  their 
own  tribes,  and  match  and  choose  mates  among  their 
own  relations  ?  And  it  has  been  observed  that  salmon 
particularly,  and  salmon-trouts,  will  come  up  the  same 
rivers,  and  spawn  in  the  very  same  places  where  they 
were  bred ;  and  I  am  inclined  to  believe  the  same  of 
some  other  fish,  as  we  read  of  swallows  and  other  birds 
of  passage. 

"  The  lightest  and  strongest  go  the  furthest  up  the 
river,  and  the  larger  and  heavier  press  up  as  far  as  they 
can  get,  if  not  to  the  place  where  they  were  bred, 
choosing  large  pools,  and  pretty  deep,  gravelly  streams. 


28  THE  BRITISH 

As  they  come  up  the  river,  they  swim  close  to  the 
bottom,  and  generally  in  the  middle  and  deepest  part 
of  it,  making  tracks  in  the  gravel  and  sand,  like  sheep- 
tracks,  by  which  we  fishers  know  when  any  salmon  are 
in  thie  river.  And  it  has  been  observed  that  the  pilots, 
or  guides  (as  fishermen  call  them),  often  come  to  the 
top  of  the  water,  as  if  to  reconnoitre,  if  I  may  use  a 
modem  military  term,  and  see  what  they  are  upon. 
They  swim  very  fast,  and,  generally,  more  at  night  than 
day,  and  rest,  when  they  come  to  convenient  places, 
under  bushes,  weeds,  banks,  and  stones,  and  then  the 
whole  shoal  run  again.  The  reason,  I  suppose,  of  their 
swimming  in  the  middle  and  the  bottom  of  the  river,  is 
because  that  part  is  the  least  disturbed  by  a  flood,  and 
there  is  the  safest  and  best  traveUing. 

^'  They  generally  choose  streams  to  spawn  in,  at  the 
head  of  great  deep  pools,  both  for  their  own  security 
from  their  mortal  enemy  the  otter,  and  the  greater  pre- 
servation of  their  young  fry,  which  we  may  observe,  in 
the  spring,  very  near  the  shore  of  those  streams  where 
they  were  bred,  waiting  for  a  flood  to  carry  them  down. 

"  When  the  gib-fish  has  found  a  stream  that  he 
likes,  he  makes  a  hole,  as  a  swine  works  in  the  ground 
with  his  nose,  his  mouth  being  nailed  close  with  the  gib 
in  its  socket.  When  he  has  made  this  hole  a  yai'd 
and  a  half  long,  or  more,  and  nearly  a  yard  broad,  he 
finds  his  mate,  and  they  proceed  to  deposit  the  spawn 
in  the  trough  previously  prepared.     All  the  roes  that 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  29 

are  smit,  or  touched  by  the  milt,  which  is  of  a  vicious 
quality,  sink  among  the  little  stones  and  gravel,  and 
those  that  are  not  touched  with  it  are  carried  down 
the  stream,  and  are  dehcious  food  for  the  many  trouts 
that  are  watching  the  opportunity;  then  the  she-fish 
leaves  her  mate,  chasing  away  the  small  fish,  while  the 
gib-fish  is  working  at  the  head  of  the  bed,  and  covering 
up  the  spawn  with  the  gravel  and  sand,  which  he 
throws  up  with  his  head,  making,  at  the  same  time,  a 
new  bed  and  filUng  up  the  other. 

"  This  he  does  all  by  himself,  for  I  never  saw  the 
she-fish  along  with  the  he  when  he  was  making  a  new 
hole  at  the  head  of  the  other.  Sometimes  I  have  seen 
him  lie  still  in  the  hole,  as  if  resting  himself,  and  then, 
in  an  hour  or  two,  bring  up  his  mate  again  as  before. 

"  If  it  be  rainy  or  hazy  weather,  they  will  be  three 
or  four  nights  in  finishing  their  work,  but  frosty  weather 
puts  them  in  a  hurry,  and  they  will  have  done  in  two 
nights,  or  less,  and  hasten  down  to  their  holds,  and 
take  the  first  opportunity  to  get  to  sea. 

"  In  this  manner  salmon-trouts,  and,  I  believe,  all 
other  trouts,  spawn ;  and  other  fish  that  spawn  in  the 
streams  use  much  the  same  methods  in  making  their 
beds,  and  covering  up  their  future  progeny. 

"  I  have  been  the  more  particular  in  this  article,  be- 
cause I  have  seen  the  above  process  frequently,  in  many 
places,  both  mornings  and  evenings,  and  sometimes  at 
night,  with  a  light.    Sometimes  a  salmon  loses  his  mate 


L 


30  THE  BRITISH 

before  they  have  done  spawning,  it  being  struck  with  a 
Uster,  &c.,  and  yet  the  gib-fish  has  brought  up  another, 
in  two  or  three  hours'  time  to  spawn  with  him.  Whether 
there  have  been  any  supernumerary  females  in  the  pool, 
or  whether  he  has  taken  by  violence  the  mate  of  another, 
I  cannot  tell ;  but  I  have  a  better  opinion  of  our  noble 
salmon  than  to  suspect  him  of  such  injustice. 

"  I  have  sometimes  known  the  gib-fish  caught  at 
spawning-time,  and  then  she  has  procured  another  mate, 
or  else  two  other  salmon  have  taken  possession  of  their 
works,  and  driven  her  out.* 

^^  A  salmon-spawn  heap  will  be  three  yards  or  more 
in  length,  and  two  feet  or  nearly  a  yard  broad,  and  it 
looks  like  a  new  made  grave. 

"The  roe  of  the  salmon  becomes  salmon-fry  in 
March  and  April,  and  they  very  soon  find  their  way  to 
the  sea,  where  they  grow  with  amazing  rapidity ;  as  on 
their  return  to  their  native  streams,  in  June  or  July  of 
the  same  year,  they  weigh  from  six  to  seven  pounds, 
and  are  then  called  grilse  or  gilse.  They  breed  the  first 
year,  though  they  have  not  strength  to  reach  so  far  up 
the  rivers  to  spawn  as  older  fish,  and  they  contain  a 
smaller  quantity  of  roe  than  adults.'^ 

Mr.  Yarrell  says  "  that  the  growth  of  salmon, 
from  the  state  of  fry  to  that  of  grilse,  has  been  shewn 

*  Mates  will  ^equently  fight  for  a  female,  and  will  do  this  till  one 
is  killed.  The  hooks  with  which  they  are  provided  in  the  breeding 
season,  at  the  extremity  of  the  lower  jaw,  enable  them  to  tear  each 
other. — Ed. 


angler's  manual.  31 

to  be  very  rapid ;  and  the  increase  of  weight,  during 
the  second  and  each  subsequent  year,  is  believed  to 
equals  if  not  to  exceed  the  weight  gained  in  the  first/^* 
He  also  observes,  that  "  the  salmon  is  a  voracious 
feeder,^'  may  be  safely  inferred  from  the  degree  of  per- 
fection in  the  arrangement  of  the  teeth,  and  from  its 
own  habits,  of  which  proof  will  be  adduced,  as  well  as 
from  the  known  habits  of  the  species  most  closely  alUed 
to  it.  Yet  of  the  many  observers  who  have  examined 
the  stomach  of  the  salmon  to  ascertain  the  exact  nature 
of  the  food  which  mostly  constitutes  their  principal 
support,  few  have  been  able  to  satisfy  themselves.  Dr. 
Knox  states,  that  the  food  of  the  salmon,  and  that  on 
which  all  its  estimable  quahties,  and,  in  his  opinion,  its 
very  existence  depends,  and  which  the  fish  can  only 
obtain  in  the  ocean,  he  has  found  to  be  the  ova,  or  eggs, 
of  various  kinds  of  echinadermata  and  some  of  the 
Crustacea. 

From  the  richness  of  the  food  on  which  the  true 
salmon  solely  subsists,  arise,  at  least  to  a  great  extent, 
the  excellent  qualities  of  the  fish  as  an  article  of  food. 
Something,  however,  must  be  ascribed  to  a  specific  dis- 
tinction in  the  fish  itself;  for  though  he  has  ascertained 
that  the  salmon-trout  lives  very  much,  in  some  localities, 
on  the  same  food  as  the  true  salmon,  under  no  cir- 

*  This  is  now  disproved ;  the  salmon  fry  remain  in  the  stream  in 
which  they  have  been  hatched  for  a  year,  harbouring  under  stones, 
and  taking  small  flies  readily. — See  Mr.  Shaw's  account  of  the  growth 
of  salmon. 


32  TH£  BRITISH 

ciimstances  does  this  fish  acquire  the  same   exquisite 
flavour. 

Dr.  Fleming  says  "  their  favourite  food  in  the  sea 
is  the  sand-eel."  *  Sir  William  Jardine  observes,  ^^  In 
the  north  of  Sutherland  a  mode  of  fishing  for  salmon  is 
sometimes  successfully  practised  in  the  firths,  where 
sand-eels  are  used  as  a  bait — a  line  is  attached  to  a 
buoy,  or  bladder,  and  allowed  to  float  with  the  tide  up 
the  narrow  estuaries;"  but  the  baits  commonly  used  in 
angling  for  salmon  are  worms  and  artificial  flies,  though 
they  have  been  taken  with  a  minnow. 

When  a  grilse  has  reached  nine  pounds'  weight,  it 
becomes  a  salmon,  and  frequently  grows  from  that  to 
a  large  size,  weighing  from  twenty  to  sixty  pounds  or 
more. 

When  I  visited  Loch  Awe,  in  the  year  1835,  I  met 
an  intelligent  Highlander  (of  course,  in  that  district, 
a  Campbell),  who  related  an  anecdote  connected  with 
the  weight  of  a  salmon  that  I  shall  repeat,  and  leave 
my  reader  to  his  own  share  of  credence. 

A  tall,  stout,  yoimg  Campbell,  from  Glenorchy, 
celebrated  for  his  success  as  a  salmon  fisher,  left  his 
native  glen  for  the  river  Awe,  which  runs  from  the  Loch 
of  that  name  to  Loch  Etive,  through  a  narrow  ravine  at 

*  There  is  no  doubt  of  this.  The  first  thing  a  salmon  does  when  it 
is  hooked  or  caught  in  a  net,  is  to  disgorge  the  contents  of  its  stomach, 
and  this  accounts  for  so  little  being  known  of  the  food  of  this  fish.  By 
watching  salmon  during  the  haul  of  a  net,  they  may  be  seen  to  eject 
sand-eels  in  great  abundance. — Ed. 


angler's  manual.  38 

the  foot  of  the  mighty  Ben  Cruachan.  The  bed  of  this 
river  is  stony,  and  in  many  parts  the  water  is  rapid  and 
turbulent,  but  it  subsides  occasionally  into  deep  pools, 
which  are  the  favourite  resorts  of  large  fish.  Our  ex- 
perienced Highlander  reached  a  well-known  deep  of 
this  description,  with  a  strong  eighteen-feet  rod,  and  an 
immense  wooden  pirn,  on  which  was  wound  eighty 
yards  of  strong  line,  and  had  only  cast  his  fly  a  second 
time  when  he  struck  a  fish.  The  fish  ran  out  his  line 
with  such  furious  rapidity  that  he  was  obUged  to  follow 
with  his  utmost  speed  over  rocks  and  stones,  and  fre- 
quently through  the  water  also ;  for  he  soon  foimd  that 
he  had  no  chance  whatever  of  turning  his  fish  imtil 
they  should  reach  a  broad  deep  pool,  above  a  mile 
below  him. 

At  this  haven  he  at  length  arrived,  much  exhausted 
with  fatigue ;  not  so  the  fish,  for  he  seemed  to  be  as 
vigorous  as  ever,  and  the  angler,  on  finding  he  had 
room  to  try  his  skill  and  the  strength  of  his  tackle, 
soon  recovered  his  spirits,  when,  as  if  in  derision  of 
both,  the  fish,  after  a  violent  plunge  or  two,  took  to 
the  bottom,  and  there  remained  immovable,  resisting 
every  effort  to  rouse  him.  Suddenly,  however,  he 
again  ran  up  the  stream,  carrying  the  Highlander  after 
him  through  the  same  rugged  route,  to  the  imminent 
peril  of  life  and  limb,  till  he  reached  the  pool  where  he 
was  first  struck.  After  a  short  struggle,  in  which  the 
angler  so  far  succeeded  as  to  turn  the  fish  down  the 

D 


34  THE  BRITISH 

stream,  or,  rather,  submitted  to  be  himself  taken  down, 
and  that,  as  before,  in  no  gentle  fashion,  they  reached 
the  deep  pool  once  more,  when,  after  a  few  fruitless 
efforts  on  the  part  of  the  Highlander,  the  fish  again 
took  to  the  bottom,  where  he  lay  in  the  most  dogged 
sullenness,  defying  all  the  powers  of  his  enemy  to  draw 
him  from  his  retreat. 

Night  was  now  coming  on,  and  even  our  hardy 
angler  was  exhausted  by  his  long  contest ;  he  therefore 
sat  down  between  two  rocks  on  the  bank  of  the  river, 
in  a  secure  place,  and  determined  to  rest  there  till 
certain  fishermen  arrived,  as  was  their  custom,  at  break 
of  day,  from  whom  he  might  obtain  assistance.  He 
fixed  his  rod  in  security,  and  contrived  that  his  pirn 
should  give  out  the  line  freely,  and  then  placed  the  line 
between  his  teeth,  so  that,  if  the  fish  should  leave  the 
bottom,  the  running  of  the  line  might  awaken  him. 
In  this  situation  he  slept  soundly  till  three  in  the 
morning,  at  which  time  the  fishermen  found  him — the 
rod  and  line  were  undisturbed,  and  the  fish  still  at  the 
bottom.  But  the  Highlander  was  now  awake,  and, 
with  the  assistance  of  the  friends  in  question,  he  soon 
succeeded,  with  their  nets,  in  capturing  this  doughty 
fish,  which  proved  to  be  a  fine  salmon,  weighing 
seventy-four  pounds. 

The  river  Awe  runs  from  Loch  Awe,  and  the  ac- 
companying view  of  the  loch  is  taken  from  near  the 
inn  of  Port  Sonachan. 


angler's  manual.  35 

The  truth  of  the  above  anecdote  was  vouched  by 
several  respectable  Highlanders  at  the  inn  of  Port 
Sonnachan. 

The  largest  salmon  I  hjave  heard  of,  in  the  London 
market,  was  in  the  possession  of  Mr,  Grove,  of  Bond 
Street;   it  weighed  eighty-three  pounds.. 

Salmon  are  remarkable  for  their  strength  and  ac- 
tivity, and,  as  the  spawning  season  advances,  they 
shoot  up  the  rapid  stream  with  great  velocity,  and  are 
not  easily  retarded  in  their  progress,  as  they  spring 
over  wiers,  or  falls  of  water,  called  salmon-leaps,  of  the 
height  of  from  seven  to  ten  feet.  Sometimes,  when 
they  meet  with  a  wier,  or  a  cascade,  which  they  cannot 
surmount,  they  will  make  repeated  efforts,  even  till 
they  die  on  the  spot.  Many  fish  are  taken  by  the 
fishermen  during  their .  attempts  to  spring  over  these 
impediments. 

It  is  said  that  one  of  the  wonders  which  the  Frazers 
of  Lovat,  who  are  lords  of  the  manor,  used  to  shew 
their  guests,  was  a  voluntarily  cooked  salmon  at  the 
Falls  of  Kilmorac.  For  this  purpose  a  kettle  was 
placed  upon  the  flat  rock  on  the  south  side  of  the 
fall,  close  by  the  edge  of  the  water,  and  kept  full  and 
boiling.  There  is  a  considerable  extent  of  the  rock 
where  tents  were  erected,  and  the  whole  was  under  a 
canopy  of  overhanging  trees.  There  the  company  are 
said  to  have  waited  till  a  salmon  fell  into  the  kettle, 
and  was  boiled  in  their  presence;    a  mode  of  enter- 


36  THE  BRITISH 

tainment  I  confess  myself  incapable  of  coveting,  being 
too  much  of  a  sportsman,  and  too  little  of  an  epicure, 
to  desire  conquest  so  unworthy,  and  cookery  so  un- 
natural. 

The  principal  rivers  in  England  where  salmon  are 
caught  are  the  following :  — 

The  Eden,  the  Derwent,*  and  the  Kent,  in  Cum- 
berland; theTyne  and  the  Coquet,  in  Northumberland; 
the  Ribble,  in  Yorkshire ;  the  Lune,  in  Lancashire ;  the 
Dee,  in  Cheshire ;  the  Trent,  in  Lincolnshire,  Notting- 
hamshire, &c. ;  the  Itchin,  Avon,  and  Stour,  in  Hamp- 
shire. The  Thames  formerly  produced  abundant  salmon 
of  the  finest  quality,  but  the  gas  works  and  steam  navi- 
gation have  now  totally  destroyed  the  salmon  fishery. 
Thirty  years  ago,  at  Mortlake,  and  between  Isleworth 
and  Richmond,  I  have  seen  from  ten  to  twenty  salmon 
taken  at  a  draught;  the  last  I  saw  caught  in  the 
Thames  was  in  the  year  1820,  but  they  have  been  oc- 
casionally taken  since  that  time.  The  samlet,  brand- 
ling, or  skegger,  has  also  disappeared. 

In  Scotland,  the  principal  salmon  rivers  are  the 
Tweed,  the  Tay,  the  Don,  the  Spey,  the  Brora,  and  the 
Awe.  Most  of  the  Scotch  lochs  communicating  with 
the  sea  also  produce  salmon,  and  nearly  all  the  streams 
on  the  Scottish  coasts  afford  excellent  sport  to  the 
angler,  immediately  after  a  fiood  or  fresh,  during  the 

*  The  Derwent  salmon -fishing  is  but  little  known  to  anglers,  but 
it  is  excellent  in  the  months  of  September  and  October. — Ed. 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  37 

months  of  July  and  August,  when  the  sea-trout  run  up 
from  the  sea  to  meet  the  fresh,  and  are  frequently 
taken  in  great  numbers  with  the  fly,  the  lob-worm,  or 
well-scoured  brandling  * 

Grilse  are  also  often  taken  at  the  same  period  in 
these  small  rivers,  weighing  from  three  to  six  pounds. 
At  Kilmun,  a  village  on  the  Clyde,  between  Loch  Long 
and  Loch  Fine,  there  is  a  stream  which  runs  from  Loch 
Eck,  a  distance  of  about  four  miles,  and  enters  the 
Clyde,  in  which  I  have  seen  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
brace  of  sea-trout  taken  in  a  few  hours ;  but  this  can 
only  be  done  by  wading,  which  my  health  did  not  then 
allow  (not  being  provided  with  caoutchouc  boots),  so 
that  I  was  obliged  to  content  myself  with  trout-fishing 
on  the  lake,  which  is  excellent.  I  caught,  in  a  few 
hours,  twenty  brace  and  one  fine  sea-trout. 

This  river  is  preserved,  but  a  residence  at  the  inn, 
which  is  tolerably  comfortable,  will  procure  you  a 
ticket.  This  will  be  found  a  pleasant  station,  for  a  few 
days,  to  a  Highland  tourist ;  and  there  is  a  steam-boat 
to  and  from  Glasgow  daily.  The  scenery  on  the  loch 
is  of  a  grand  character,  and  well  Worthy  the  attention 
of  the  landscape  painter :  the  nearest  house  of  enter- 
tainment is  at  Kilmun,  four  miles  from  the  foot  of  the 

*  It  is  not  generally  known,  but  excellent  sport  may  be  had  with  a 
fly  in  some  of  the  estuaries  on  the  coast  of  Scotland,  before  salmon  and 
sea-trout  ascend  the  rivers.  A  gentleman  of  my  acquaintance  killed 
many  in  this  way  from  the  boat  of  his  yacht. — £d. 


8H  THE  BmiTISH 

Uh'Iu  (Wmi  which»  in  sonmicr-time,  a  coach  runs  daily, 
l\Y  tW  Uw\)«T«  ^4"  <h4(^  )oek»  wliich  is  eight  miles  long, 
ii^  iixK'  tVm  <i>ti  l^kvh  Ficie^  ^opposite  to  Inverary. 

Ttu4^  9v>Zi:.«nr  kvh  W  Itctle  iSrequmted,  and,  conse- 
i^^^^utlv^  CW  ttvHtn  «ff^  otiOC  siiT  d  the  fly;  a  small  boat 
XM^v  bv«  btaml  uf  i^ixu:^  bac  chjere  is  ^ood  shoie-fishing 

'Vt)«f  ^Vli^cv-vVJEnirc  <od  sitf  Bladt-Ad<kr,  near  Ab- 
^lixiOni^  ssvtf  ^t5$i(X'd  bv  «ttr4S!0tiCL  bat  Aex  streams 
]|^  m^i^  tttmcu8$.  tvr  ovrnttion  orQnt;  riide«dl,  there 
iWM   ^%i^    bvdvr   trvuc   ^^crtnunts-  in  Seutdami  than  tlie 

W'J>*i  •^♦vt.T  6->;H^  :tt<nir  J«JiinmB  ArmBftrfmsf* 
t|l)vi*v  IN  4  vt<M\v  uvituurfaaii}  *nn»  where  maor 
w*^;^'  «•>  iMtfj^Jgrs.  t^i^sur*- ;  rxiw  ^^utir^!^  are 

VKv  t^^*^«a.  '•♦niuuiiii;  ^^ct-uc*^.     It  .»i&^*xiti  irrrafir  aifea»- 
^4^v  vh'  Vtu^  v^niy  .ntt>  ^ace  rum  "fau  itty  of  Cacn^^ 
Vt>v^  I  ^^4)  tHvt}(>«.  4itu    ftkt*^  :«bttttnu  Ji  saJirnnr  and 

>kii  blMiii^Hirv  *7h>  y  s^fcvsv  *  tax  -^me  h  :iiff  Irsai 
«\vo  bc'u&ci"  uuiyu  ^>^^  J4  tian  'Ur  S^'otcix  rmsaas^:  '^msm. 
iKKx>\:t  4  ^oou  Itttl  u'tiui  'Ik  aihitiicc  u  :t»?  'Jacxmiiir 
^mt.^u,  vvhca  :>icv  .u*;  >juitrtttti   u  'tar  jncEmr  m'&S: 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  39 

is  liberal  and  courteous  to  all  fly-fishers.  The  Moy,  at 
Ballina^  is  likewise  an  admirable  salmon  river^  and 
sport,  I  believe,  may  always  be  secured  there,  in  every 
state  of  the  waters ;  but  the  best  fishing  can  only  be 
commanded  by  the  use  of  a  boat.  I  have  taken,  in  the 
Erne,  two  or  three  large  salmon  in  the  morning ;  and, 
in  the  Moy,  three  or  four  grilses,  or,  as  they  are  called 
in  Ireland,  grauls,  and  this  was  in  a  very  bad  season 
for  salmon  -  fishing.  The  Bann,  near  Coleraine, 
abounds  in  salmon,  but,  except  in  close  time,  when 
it  is  unlawful  to  fish  there,  there  are  few  good  casts 
in  the  river.  In  the  Bush,  a  small  river,  there  is 
admirable  salmon-fishing  always  after  great  floods ;  but 
in  fine  and  dry  weather  there  is  little  use  in  trying  this 
river.  I  have  hooked  twenty  fish  in  a  day,  after  the 
first  August  floods,  in  this  river;  and,  should  sport 
fail,  the  celebrated  Giant^s  Causeway  is  within  a  mile 
of  its  mouth,  and  ofiers,  to  the  lovers  of  natural 
beauty  and  geological  research,  almost  inexhaustible 
sources  of  interest.*' 

The  Blackwater,  at  Lismore,  is  a  very  good  salmon 
river;  and  the  Shannon,  above  Limerick,  and  at  Castle 
Connel,  whenever  the  water  is  tolerably  high,  offers 
many  good  casts  to  the  fly-fisher :  but  they  can  only  be 
commanded  by  boats.  But  there  is  no  considerable 
river  along  the  northern  or  western  coast,  with  the 
exception  of  the  Avoca  (which  has  been  spoilt  by  the 
copper  mines),  that  does  not  afford  salmon,  and  that 


40  THE  BRITISH 

does  not  (if  taken  at  the  proper  time)  afford  sport 
to  the  salmon-fisher. 

Lough  Luggin,  in  Connemara,  abounds  in  salmon 
and  white  trout,  as  do  many  other  loughs,  being  near 
the  sea-coast.  The  lakes  of  Killamey  are  alike  cele- 
brated for  scenery  and  fishing;  the  angler  for  salmon 
will  not  meet  with  the  same  sport  as  at  Ballyshannon, 
but,  if  he  will  be  content  with  trout,  I  can  truly  say 
I  am  not  acquainted  with  any  lakes  superior  to  Killar- 
ney.  I  was  there  early  in  August,  1836,  the  worst 
season  in  the  year  for  trout-fishing,  and  yet  I  had, 
during  ten  days,  capital  sport;  and  the  fish,  though 
not  large,  were  fine  in  quahty.  I  can  with  confidence 
■  recommend  Michael  Doherty  as  an  angling  guide ;  he 
is  well  acquainted  with  every  course  where  a  salmon  is 
to  be  found,  and  with  every  bay  most  frequented  by 
trout ;  and  he  makes  capital  flies,  suited  to  the  lakes. 
I  tried  his  and  my  own  alternately,  and  I  found  his 
had  the  advantage. 

I  am  now  speaking  of  trout-flies,  but  he  shewed 
me  his  salmon-flies,  which  were  small,  and  dull  in 
colour,  rather  than  gaudy ;  his  favourite  ones  seemed 
to  have  dark  turkey  or  grouse-feather  wings,  and 
brown  olive  bodies,  ribbed  with  narrow  gold  twist. 
And  I  may  here  remark,  from  my  own  little  experience 
in  salmon-fishing,  together  with  the  observations  of 
more  experienced  hands,  that  large  gaudy  flies  are 
not  so  much  in  use  as  they  were  formerly,  particularly  in 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  41 

Wales  arid  Scotland.   Mr.  O'Shaughnessy,  of  Limerick, 
certainly  still  has  in  use  all  the  colours  of  the  rainbow. 

The  lakes  of  Killamey  have  often  been  compared 
with  those  of  Cumberland  and  Westmoreland,  and  the 
preference  in  general  given  to  the  former.  When  I 
took  boat; at  the  lower  lake  the  scenery  appeared  to  me 
inferior  to  that  of  many  English  and  Scottish  lakes, 
but  on  a  further  acquaintance  with  the  mountains,  the 
numerous  and  beautifully  wooded  islands,  and,  above  all, 
with  the  enchanting,  narrow,  deeply  wooded  outlet,  from 
the  lower  to  the  middle  and  upper  lakes,  I  became  a 
convert  to  the  general  opinion.  Mic.  Doherty  informed 
me  that  he  had  the  honour  of  taking  Sir  Walter  Scott 
through  this  magical  passage,  and  that  he  appeared  to  be 
deeply  impressed  with  the  solemn  beauty  of  the  scene. 

All  the  islands  and  shores  of  these  lakes  are  thickly 
covered  with  the  arbutus,  and  in  no  other  place  have  I 
seen  this  beautiful  tree  in  such  perfection.  Myself 
and  friends  dined  almost  every  day  on  one  or  other 
of  the  islands ; .  but,  on  two  occasions,  at  Kenmare 
Cottage,  permission  for  that  purpose  being  liberally 
granted  to  strangers  by  the  amiable  proprietor.  Lady 
Kenmare.  On  one  of  these  occasions  we  had  a  newly 
caught  salmon  broiled,  or  roasted,  on  skewers  made  of 
the  green  wood  of  the  arbutus,  which  is  said  to  give 
the  fish  a  fine  and  peculiar  flavour : — however  this  may 
be,  I  can  safely  say  that  never  before,  or  since,  have 
I  enjoyed  salmon  in  such  perfection. 


THE  BRITISH 


KoBs  Castle  is  a  fine  old  tuId,  of  which  I  have 
given  a  vignette :  it  is  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  town 
of  Killamey,  and  is  the  usual  point  of  embarkation 
from  the  lower  lake,  the  boat-house  being  close  by  it. 

The  Kenmare  Arms,  kept  by  Mr.  T.  Finn,  is  the 
principal  inn  at  Killamey,  and  ia  an  excellent  house, 
where  the  angler,  or  tourist,  will  find  every  accommo- 
dation, such  aa  boats,  fishermen,  guides,  ponies,  car- 
riages, &c.  The  landlord  has  lately  opened  a  new 
eatabhshment,  called  the  "  Victoria  Hotel,"  situated  on 
the  north-west  shore  of  the  lower  lake,  commanding 
fine  and  extensive  views  of  the  lakes  and  the  adjacent 
mountain  scenery ;  and  this  new  hotel  has  the  advan- 
tage to  the  angler  of  being  a  mile  nearer  the  lake 
than  the  Kenmare  Arms.    And  if  Mrs.  Finn  provides 


ANOLER^S  MANUAL.  43 

as  liberally  at  the  new  establishment  as  she  does  at  the 
old  one,  visitors  will  have  no  right  to  complain. 

Provisions  in  the  market  at  Killamey  are  very 
reasonable.  Salmon,  five  pence  per  pound ;  ducks  and 
fowls,  two  shillings  per  couple;  turkeys,  half-a-crown 
each,  and  other  things  in  proportion. 

The  rivers  and  lakes  in  Wales  are  very  numerous, 
but  the  salmon  is  by  no  means  equal  to  the  trout-fishing. 
The  principal  salmon  rivers  are  the  Dee,  the  Conway, 
the  Severn,  the  Taf,  the  Towy,  the  Teivi,  the  Ogmore, 
the  Usk,  the  Math,  and  the  Wye.  All  the  numerous 
streams  on  the  Welsh  coast,  that  have  a  firee  commu- 
nication with  the  sea,  abound  in  sewen  or  sea-trout. 

For  salmon-fishing  your  fly-rod  should  be  from 
seventeen  to  twenty  feet  long,  and  the  reel  (which 
should  not  be  a  multiplying  one)  should  contain  from 
sixty  to  eighty  yards  of  line ;  and  a  rod  for  worm- 
fishing*  (when  the  angler  does  not  wade)  should  be 
twenty  feet  long;  but  I  may  venture  to  say  that,  in 
many  rivers,  very  little  success  can  be  expected  from 
worm-fishing  for  sea-trout,  without  wading.  I  have 
before  observed,  that  the  best  time  for  worm-fishing  is 
after  a  fresh  in  the  month  of  August,  and  if  the  water 
be  heavy  your  hook  may  be  baited  with  two  lob-worms ; 
if  the  water  be  clearing,  a  well-scoured  single  brandling 
may  be  used,  or  one  well-scoured  marsh-worm :  your 
hooks  to  be  baited  as  directed  in  Chapter  II.  in  the 
article  on  worms.     The  bottom  of  your  line  should 


44  THE  BRITISH 

consist  of  four  yards  of  strong,  even  gut,  and  should 
be  leaded  according  to  the  strength  of  the  stream. 

When  I  was  a  boy,  and  living  at  Nottingham,  I 
frequently  accompanied  to  the  river  Trent  a  gentleman 
who  was  fond  of  fishing  for  salmon  from  the  bridge ; 
he  used  to  stand  within  the  recess  of  a  pier,  and  baited 
with  two  lob-worms ;  he  had  a  bullet  on  his  line  about 
twelve  inches  above  the  hook,  with  at  least  eighty 
yards  of  Hne  on  his  reel.  He  dropped  his  bait  into 
the  deep  eddies,  or  pools,  near  the  starlings;  and  in 
this  manner  he  frequently  caught  large  barbel,  and 
sometimes  a  salmon.  On  one  occasion,  when  I  was 
only  nine  years  old,  I  followed  him  to  the  bridge,  and 
after  I  had  patiently  watched  him  for  two  or  three 
hours,  without  seeing  a  fish  caught,  he  gave  the  rod 
into  my  hands,  shewing  me  how  to  support  it  on  the 
bridge,  and  telling  me,  if  I  felt  a  tug  at  the  line,  to 
let  it  run  freely,  and  not  to  touch  the  reel,  but* to  call 
out  loudly,  that  either  the  toll-bar  keeper  or  himself 
might  come  to  my  assistance.  He  then  went  to  a 
pubUc-house  at  a  short  distance  from  the  turnpike- 
house  for  refreshment,  and  had  not  been  gone  many 
minutes,  when,  to  my  great  surprise  and  delight,  I  felt 
two  smart  strokes  at  the  line,  which  then  ran  out 
furiously,  whilst  I  called  out  lustily,  to  the  extent  of 
my  voice,  and  soon  brought  both  my  friend  and  the 
gatekeeper  to  my  assistance.  They  were  just  in  time 
to  turn  the  fish  before  it  had  run  out  the  extent  of  the 


angiiEr's  manual.  45 

line : — a  boat  was  procured,  and  assistance  given  on 
the  water  to  the  angler  on  the  bridge,  and,  after  nearly 
an  hour^s  labour  and  anxiety,  the  fish  was  landed,  and 
proved  to  be  a  salmon  in  beautiful  condition,  weighing 
eighteen  pounds  and  a  half:  so  that  I  may  say  (in  one 
sense)  I  caught  a  salmon  at  nine  years  of  age — a  cir- 
cumstance which,  undoubtedly,  greatly  fed  my  early 
passion  for  angling,  and  might  have  been  a  foundation 
for  my  becoming  a  great  salmon-fisher.  But  circum- 
stances have  prevented  me  from  having  much  practice 
in  this  noble  branch  of  our  art.  I  have,  however, 
eagerly  sought  the  salmo  fariOy  his  near  relation,  in 
almost  every  river  and  lake  in  the  United  Kingdom, 
and  have  not  been  unsuccessful  in  this  part  of  our 
'^  gentle  craft." 

The  fiies  used  in  salmon-fishing  vary,  in  form  and 
colour,  very  much  in  England,  Scotland,  Wales,  and 
Ireland. 

In  Ireland,  large  gaudy  flies,  such  as  are  made  by 
O'Shaughnessy,  of  Limerick,  are  favourites;  in  the 
Tweed  and  in  Scotland  similai*  flies  prevail;  but  in 
Wales  and  in  England,  smaller  and  duller  coloured  flies 
are  more  successful.  I  have  heard  a  practical  and 
observant  fisher  remark  that,  where  the  water  is  co- 
loured by  neighbouring  peat-bogs,  large  gay  flies  will 
take  best,  and  that,  in  clear  streams  and  lakes,  smaller 
and  chaster  flies  may  be  used. 

The  following  list  of  flies  may  serve  the   young 


46  THE  BRITISH 

salmon  fisher^  till  practice  and  experience  shall  enable 
him  to  correct  and  enlarge  it.* 

No.  1.  For  the  Tweed,  Scotland. 

The  body,  claret  and  orange  mohair,  with  green 
tip  ribbed  with  gold  twist ;  legs,  black  and  red  hackle ; 
wings,  turkey  feather  with  white  tips.  Hook,  No.  7, 
Limerick,  or  0,  0,  Kirby. 

No.  2.  Tweed. 

Body,  one  half  blue,  the  other  half  greenish  yellow 
mohair  ribbed  with  gold  twist  and  red  tip;  legs,  a 
black  hackle;  wings,  a  heron's  wing.  Hook,  No.  8, 
Limerick,  or  0,  Kirby. 

No.  3.  Tweed. 

Body,  one  half  dark  blue,  the  other  half  orange 
mohair,  ribbed  with  silver  twist  and  red  tip ;  legs,  a 
black  hackle ;  wings,  mottled  grey  feather  of  the  mal- 
lard's wing.     Hook,  No.  9,  Limerick,  or  No.  1,  Kirby. 

Two  flies  for  the  river  Awe,  Highlands  of  Scotland. 

No.  1.  Body,  greenish  yellow  mohair,  ribbed  with 
gold  twist ;  tip,  orange  mohair,  and  turkey's  wing ;  legs, 
black  hackle ;  wings,  the  black-and-white  tail  feather  of 
the  turkey.     Hook,  No.  8,  Limerick,  or  0,  Kirby. 

No.  2.  Body,  blue  mohair,  ribbed  with  silver  twist ; 

*  Anglers  wiU  thank  me  when  they  have  tried  it,  for  the  following 
description  of  a  fly,  which  is  warranted  to  kill  salmon  in  any  of  the 
rivers  of  the  west  of  Scotland.  The  body  to  be  formed  of  crimson 
silk,  ribbed  with  gold  twist ;  hackle  of  argus  pheasant's  spotted  feather, 
and  the  jay's  blue  feather,  and  winged  and  tailed  with  the  yellow 
feather  of  the  golden  pheasant.    Prohatum  est. — Ed. 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  47 

legs,  a  dyed  blue  hackle ;  wings,  the  speckled  feather 
of  the  mallard's  wing.  Hook,  No.  8,  Limerick,  or 
No.  0,  Kirby. 

The  following  flies  are  recommended  by  Mr.  Han- 
sard, in  his  "  Trout  and  Salmon-fishing  in  Wales.'' 


A   SPRING  FLY. 
« 


Wings,  dark  brown  mottled  feather  of  the  bit- 
tern j  body,  orange  silk  or  worsted,  with  broad  gold 
twist,  and  a  smoky  dun  hackle  for  legs." 


A   SUMMER  FLY. 


Wings,  the  brown  mottled  feather  of  a  turkey- 
cock's  wing,  with  a  few  of  the  green  strands  selected 
from  the  eye  of  a  peacock's  tail  feather.  Body,  yellow 
silk  and  gold  twist,  with  a  deep  blood-red  hackle  for 
legs." 

The  flies  described  for  the  Tweed  wiU  answer  for 
the  rivers  and  lochs  of  Ireland,  but  the  flies  sold  by 
O'Shaughnessy  are  still  more  gaudy  than  those  used 
for  the  Tweed.  In  the  English  rivers,  few  of  which 
will  repay  the  angler  for  his  labour,  smaller  and  quieter 
coloured  flies  are  used. 

The  flies  I  have  already  recommended  for  salmon, 
if  dressed  upon  Nos.  3,  4,  or  5  hooks,  will  answer  for 
salmon,  trout,  sea-trout,  whiting,  sewen,  &c. 


48  THE  BRITISH 

The  three  following  flies  I  have  used  with  success 
for  sea  trout: — 

No.  1.  Body,  yellow  flos  silk,  ribbed  with  fine 
gold  twist;  legs,  a  red  hackle;  tail,  three  strands  of 
ditto ;  wings,  the  light  speckled  feather  of  a  maHan^  s 
wing.     Hook,  No.  4  Kirby. 

No.  2.  Body,  purple  mohair;  legs,  coch-a-bonddu 
hackle:  wings,  woodcock  or  partridge  wing.  Hook, 
No.  6,  Kirby. 

No.  3.  Body,  black  ostrich  herl,  ribbed  with  silver 
twist ;  legs,  black  hackle ;  wings,  mallard^s  wing.  Hook, 
No.  6,  Kirby. 

These  three  flies  may  be  varied  in  size  and  colour, 
by  dressing  them  on  diflFerent  sized  hooks,  and  using 
difierent  coloured  mohairs,  and  wings  such  as  the 
grouse,  woodcock,  starling,  jay,  turkey,  &c.,  and  by 
using  flos  silk  instead  of  mohair ;  also  using  sometimes 
gold,  sometimes  silver  twist,  and  otherwise  with  co- 
loured sUks,  and  varying  the  hackles  for  legs  to  suit 
the  colour  of  the  wings. 

To  those  who  make  a  piscatory  trip  to  Ireland,  I 
strongly  recommend  Martin  Kelly^s  tackle-shop  in 
Sackville  Street ;  or  Murray^s,  Arran  Quay,  Dublin.  At 
either  of  these  places  they  will  meet  with  well-made 
flies,  of  which  they  should  lay  in  a  stock  suitable  to 
the  waters  they  are  about  to  visit. 

Strong  salmon- gut,  when  used  single,  in  a  clear 
water  and  bright  day,  will  answer  better  than  twisted 


r 


ANGLSr'b  HA.NOAL.  49 

gat,  but  if  the  day  be  cloudyj  the  water  dark ;  and  large 
fish  are  expected,  even  treble  gut  is  sometimea  em- 
ployed. And  when  twisted  with  the  skill  and  care 
employed  by  Mr.  Chevalier,  it  is  as  fine,  and  will  iidl 
nearly  as  lightly  on  the  water,  as  aingle  gut. 


50  THE  BRITISH 


THE  SALMON -TROUT. 


I  have  before  observed,  that  great  difference  of  opi- 
nion exists  among  naturalists  respecting  the  varieties  in 
the  genus  salmo,  some  affirming  that  the  sabnon^trout^ 
the  grilse,  the  bull-trout,  and  the  sewin,  are  only  va- 
rieties of  the  true  salmon : — others  contend,  from  the 
difference  in  the  formation  of  the  gills,  and  from  the 
number  of  spines  in  their  fins,  that  some  of  them  are 
of  a  distinct  species  from  the  true  salmon;  and  that 
able  naturalist,  Mr.  Yarrell,*  is  of  this  opinion.  The 
salmon-trout  is,  I  believe,  the  sea-trout  of  Scotland; 
the  white  trout  of  Ireland ;  the  sewin  of  Wales ;  and 
the  whitling  of  Cumberland;  varying  in  size,  form, 
and  colour,  according  to  their  different  localities.  The 
general  weight  of  these  fish  varies  from  two  to  seven 
pounds ;  but  Mr.  Grove  of  Bond  Street,  in  June  1831, 
had  in  his  possession  a  salmon-trout,  in  fine  condition, 
which  weighed  seventeen  pounds.  Twenty  pounds  is 
the  largest  known  weight. 

In  Scotland,  these  fish  are  very  numerous  in  the 
Don,  the  Spey,  and  the  Tay ;  and  two  himdred  of  them 
are  frequently  taken  at  a  single  draught  of  a  sweep-net. 
Mr.  Yarrell  says,  speaking  on  this  subject : — 

"  The  Fordwich  trout  of  Izaak  Walton,  is  the  salmon- 

*  This  is  erroneous.  The  bull  and  sea-trout  are  two  distinct  fish, 
both  in  their  habits  and  formation.  See  Mr.  YarreU  on  these  fish, 
who  sets  the  matter  quite  at  rest.  Mr.  Hoffland's  opinion  was,  how- 
ever, formerly,  a  very  general  one. — Ed. 


ANOLER^S  MANUAL.  51 

trout ;  and  its  character  for  aflFording  ^  rare  good  meat/ 
besides  the  circumstance  of  its  being  really  an  excellent 
fish,  second  only  to  the  salmon,  was  greatly  enhanced, 
no  doubt,  by  the  opportunity  of  eating  it  very  fresh. 
Fordwich  is  two  miles  east-north-east  of  Canterbury. 
The  stream  called  the  Stour  was  formerly  very  consi- 
derable; it  communicates  with  the  sea  opposite  the 
back  of  the  Isle  of  Sheppey,  and  from  Fordwich,  one 
branch,  going  eastward,  again  enters  the  sea  at  Sand- 
wich. The  ancient  right  to  the  fishery  at  Fordwich  was 
enjoyed  jointly  by  two  religious  establishments;  it  is 
now  vested  in  six  or  seven  individuals,  who  receive  a 
consideration  for  their  several  interests.  It  was  formerly 
the  custom  to  visit  the  nets  at  Fordwich  every  morning, 
to  purchase  the  fish  caught  during  the  night.  I  have 
seen  specimens  of  the  salmon -trout  from  the  Sandwich 
river  exposed  for  sale  in  the  fishmongers^  shops  at 
Ramsgate,  during  the  season  for  visiting  that  watering- 
place  ;  and  the  salmon-trout  is  also  occasionally  taken 
in  the  Medway,  by  fishermen  who  work  long  nets  for 
smelts,  during  the  autumn  and  winter.  I  have  obtained 
a  young  fish  of  the  year,  in  the  Thames,  from  the  men 
who  fish  for  shads  above  Putney  Bridge,  in  the  months 
of  June  and  July.^' 

Vast  quantities  of  this  fish  are  brought  to  the  Lon- 
don market,  chiefly  from  Scotland,  and  when  in  high 
season  are  but  little  inferior  in  flavour  to  the  true 
salmon.     The  same  baits  which  arc  used  for  the  latter. 


52  THE  BBITISU 

i.e.  the  worm,  or  the  fly,  will  answer  for  the  salmon- 
trout. 

The  list  of  flies  for  this  fish  is  given  in  the  preceding 
article. 


SALMON-PINK,    BBANDLINQ,    PAR,    OK   SKEOGXB.* 

This  brilliant  little  fish  is  the  smallest  of  the  sal- 
monidte,  and  ia  only  found  in  rivers  frequented  by 
salmon  j  for  whenever  a  river  becomes  deserted  by  them, 
the  samlet  also  disappears.  This  fish,  for  many  years, 
was  considered  to  be  the  fry  of  the  true  salmon,  and 
local  regulations  were  made  for  its  preservation ;  but  it 
is  now  better  understood,  and  is  beheved  by  Mr.  Yarrell, 
Dr.  Heysham,  and  other  learned  naturalists,  to  be  a 
distinct  species. 

The  samlets  frequent  the  clearest  streams,  and  are 
frequently  met  with  in  great  shoals;   they  will  take 

♦  The  sltegger  certMnly  disappeared  trom  the  Thsines  with  the 
■ahnon.  I  have  frequently  ofiered  a  Tham«g  figherman  twenty  shil- 
lings if  he  would  bring  me  a  akegger,  but  never  succeeded  in  pro- 
curing one.  This  indnces  me  to  think  that  it  ii  the  young  of  the 
salmon. — Ed. 


ANOLER^S  MANUAL.  53 

almost  any  small  artificial  fly^  but  success  will  be  in- 
creased by  pointing  the  hook  with  a  gentle^  or  a  small 
bit  of  whit-leather.  A  single  peUet  of  salmon-roe,  on  a 
hook  No.  12,  with  a  fine  gut  bottom,  and  a  single  shot 
eight  inches  from  your  hook,  and  a  long  rod  to  reach 
the  streams,  will  enable  you  to  take  ten  or  twelve  dozen 
of  this  delicate  fish  in  a  few  hours.  They  are  also  ex- 
cellent practice  for  the  tyro  with  the  fly. 

The  samlet  is  distinguished  from  the  salmon,  the 
salmon-trout,  and  the  common  trout,  by  a  row  of  large 
bluish  marks  descending  from  the  back,  on  each  side, 
as  if  caused  by  the  impression  of  fingers.  It  seldom 
exceeds  seven  inches  in  length. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  COMMON  TROUT. 

This  beautiful  fish,  so  common  to  all  parts  of 
Europe,  is  the  great  exciting  object  of  the  British 
angler,  and  in  pursuit  of  which  he  is  led  to  visit  the 
most  picturesque  and  romantic  scenery.  Whether  he 
take  his  course  to  the  lakes  of  Cumberland  and  West- 
moreland, to  the  lone  grandeur  of  a  Highland  loch,  or 
to  the  pastoral  meadows  and  streams  of  Hampshire,  he 
ahke  enjoys  health,  exercise,  and  the  nnrivalled  land- 
scape of  our  beautiful  country.  The  trout  season  is 
spring,  when  all  things  are  in  their  lovely  prime,  and 


angler's  manual.  55 

re-animated  Nature  oflfers,  in  the  fragrance  of  violets 
and  cowslips^  the  song  of  the  nightingale  and  blackbird^ 
the  universal  verdure  of  meadow,  grove,  and  hedge-row, 
whatever  can  charm  the  senses  and  awaken  the  heart  to 
joy  and  gratitude. 

When  to  these  charms  of  Nature  are  added  the 
excitement  of  innocent  yet  active  pursuit,  the  exercise 
of  skill,  and  the  consciousness  of  power,  which  are 
always  productive  of  pleasurable  sensation,  we  may  cer- 
tainly say  that  the  angler,  ^^with  such  appliances  and 
means  ^'  to  aid  him,  ensures  as  much  feUcity  as  human 
existence  permits  in  following  his  sport.* 

There  is  not  any  fish,  with  which  I  am  acquainted, 
that  varies  so  much  in  size,  form,  colour,  and  flavour,  as 
the  trout ; — this  variety  is  even  met  with  in  the  same 
river,  for  one  part  of  the  stream  will  produce  a  well-fed, 
silvery  fish,  with  flesh  of  a  yellowish  pink  colour  and 
of  delicious  flavour ;  whilst  another  part  will  only  yield 
ill-fed  fish,  of  a  dusky  hue,  whose  flesh  is  white  and 
almost  tasteless.     I  have  known  two  mountain  tarns 

*  Mr.  Hoffland  iB  right.  He  was  a  lover  of  Nature,  and  he  wooed 
her  charms  on  the  banks  of  trout  streams.  In  the  early  mom  the  first 
ruddy  streaks  of  tiie  sun  are  seen,  the  dew-drops  sparkle  on  the  grass, 
the  lark  sings  his  song  of  gratitude,  and  everything  looks  fresh,  and 
gay,  and  smiling. 

'*  Sweet  is  the  breath  of  mom,  her  rising  sweet, 
With  charm  of  earliest  bird." 

And  then  the  gaily  rising  trout  as  they  feed  on  the  may-fly,  just  emer- 
ging into  new  existence !  It  is  a  pretty  picture,  and  a  pleasing  scene. 
—Ed. 


56  THE  BRITISH 

(or  lakes)  in  Cumberland,  within  a  stone's  throw  of 
each  other,  one  of  them  producing  bright  trout  of  an 
excellent  flavour,  and  the  other  the  black  trout,  a  worth- 
less, insipid  fish. 

In  some  rivers  and  lakes  where  trout  are  numerous, 
and  are  well  fed,  coloured,  and  flavoured,  the  average  of 
the  flsh  is  from  half  a  pound  to  a  pound  weight;  in 
others,  from  one  to  three  pounds ;  and  in  Malham  Tarn 
(in  the  district  of  Craven,  in  Yorkshire),  a  trout  under 
three  pounds  is  not  considered  a  killable  fish;  the 
average  weight  taken  by  the  fly  in  this  water  being 
from  three  to  eight  pounds.  The  Driffield  river  (the 
Hull),  in  the  east  riding  of  this  county,  produces  the 
largest  trout  in  England;  for  although  the  Thames 
occasionally  yields  very  fine  ones,  they  are  so  few  in 
number*  that  it  cannot  be  called  a  trout  river,  which 
the  Hull  decidedly  is.  In  the  Kennet  and  Test,  in 
Hampshire,  a  trout  under  a  pound  is  not  considered 
killable,  and  in  many  other  rivers  the  same  regulation 
is  observed. 

The  largest  trout  I  have  heard  of,  as  being  caught 
in  the  Thames,  is  one  mentioned  by  Mr.  Yarrell,  who 
says,  "  On  the  21st  of  March,  1835,  a  male  trout,  of 
fifteen  pounds,  was  caught  in  a  net ;  the  length  of  this 
fish  was  thirty  inches.^^ 

*  This  is  fax  otherwise  now.  In  consequence  of  tiie  river  Thames 
being  now  well  protected,  it  abounds  with  trout,  and  good  spinners 
have  excellent  sport.  — Ed. 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  57 

At  Great  Driffield,  in  September  1832,  a  trout  was 
taken  measuring  thirty-one  inches  in  length,  twenty-one 
in  girth,  and  weighing  seventeen  pounds. 

The  age  to  which  trout  as  well  as  salmon  will  live 
is  uncertain.  Stephen  Oliver  (the  younger)  speaks  of 
a  trout  that  died  in  August  1809,  which  had  been  for 
twenty-eight  years  an  inhabitant  of  the  well  at  Dum- 
barton Castle.  It  had  never  increased  in  size  from  the 
time  it  was  placed  there,  when  it  weighed  about  a  pound, 
and  became  so  tame  that  it  would  receive  its  food  from 
the  hand  of  the  soldiers. 

The  trout  spawn  in  October  and  November,  and  are 
then  out  of  season  till  April ;  indeed,  they  cannot  be 
said  to  be  in  perfection  till  the  months  of  May  and  June, 
at  which  period  the  food  suitable  to  them  is  most  abun- 
dant. From  this  time  they  continue  in  season  till 
September ;  but  all  the  winter  through,  after  they  have 
spawned,  they  are  long,  lank,  and  even  lousy,  and  re- 
main sickly  and  inactive  till  spring  approaches,  when 
they  seek  the  swift,  gravelly  streams,  and  free  them- 
selves from  the  insects  that  infest  them,  gaining  new 
life  and  strength  from  day  to  day,  as  the  season  ad- 
vances and  their  food  becomes  more  abundant. 

There  are  barren  trouts  that  remain  in  tolerably 
good  condition  all  the  year  round.  I  have  caught  them 
in  Ulswater,  in  the  month  of  October,  in  excellent  con- 
dition. Like  the  salmon,  trouts  make  up  the  streams 
in  October,  to  find  fitting  situations  in  which  to  deposit 


58  THE  BRITISH 

their  spawn ;  and  at  this  season  of  the  year,  vast  num- 
bers of  them  may  be  seen  entering  the  becks,  or  bums, 
that  fall  into  the  rivers  or  lakes,  for  that  purpose.  The 
North-Country  Angler  justly  observes:  —  ^^The  bum 
trout  grows  fast  if  it  has  plenty  of  food  and  good  water  ; 
several  experiments  have  been  made  in  fish-ponds; 
some  fed  by  river  water,  some  by  clear  fluent  springs^ 
into  which  the  young  fry  have  been  put  at  about  five  or 
six  months  old — that  is,  in  September  or  October,  reckon- 
ing from  April  when  they  come  out.  of  their  spawning 
beds,  at  which  time  they  will  be  six  or  seven  inches  long  ; 
and  though  there  has  been  little  difference  in  their  age 
and  size  when  put  into  the  pond,  yet,  in  eighteen 
months  after,  there  will  be  a  surprising  change.  I 
have  seen  a  pond  drained  ten  months  after  the  fish 
were  put  into  it,  which  was  in  July,  when  they  were 
about  fifteen  months  old,  at  which  time  some  of  them 
were  fifteen  or  sixteen  inches,  others  not  above  eleven  or 
twelve.  This  was  done  only  to  satisfy  the  gentleman's 
curiosity;  but  when  the  pond  was  drained  ten  months 
after,  in  March,  when  they  were  almost  two  years  old, 
some  were  twenty-one  or  twenty-two  inches,  and  weighed 
three  pounds  or  more ;  others  were  about  sixteen  inches ; 
and  a  fourth  part  not  above  twelve.  I  do  not  know  to 
what  we  can  attribute  this  difference ;  it  could  not  be 
either  in  the  food,  or  the  water,  or  the  weather,  they 
faring  all  alike  in  these.  But,  if  I  may  be  allowed  my 
opinion,  perhaps  some  of  the  fry  may  have  been  the 


ANOLER^S  MANUAL.  59 

spawn  of  those  that  were  only  seventeen  months  old^ 
which  is  the  soonest  that  any  of  them  spawn ;  others^ 
of  parents  twenty-nine  months^  or  two  years  and  a  half 
old ;  and  others  a  year  older.  This  difiTerence  in  the 
age  of  the  parent  trouts  may,  I  believe,  occasion  the 
difference  in  the  size  of  their  breed ;  otherwise  I  cannot 
account  for  it.*  Trouts  in  a  good  pond  will  grow 
much  faster  than  in  some  rivers,  because  they  do  not 
range  so  much  in  feeding.  How  long  they  live  cannot 
be  determined  any  other  way  so  well  as  by  observation 
on  those  that  are  kept  in  ponds,  which  observation 
I  never  had  an  opportunity  of  making  myself,  and, 
therefore,  shall  only  mention  what  a  gentleman  told  me. 
He  assured  me  that '  at  four  or  five  years*  old  they  were 
at  their  full  growth,  which  was,  in  some,  at  about  thirty 
inches,  and  in  many  much  less:  that  they  continued 
about  three  years  pretty  nearly  the  same  in  size  and 
goodness;  two  years  after,  they  grew  big  headed  and 
smaller  bodied,  and  died  in  the  winter  after  that  change ; 
but  he  thought  the  head  did  not  grow  larger,  but  only 
seemed  to  be  so  because  the  body  decayed.*  So  that, 
according  to  this  gentleman^s  computation,  nine  or  ten 
years  is  the  term  of  their  life ;  and  yet,  I  think,  they 
may  live  longer  in  some  rivers,  and  grow  to  a  much 
greater  size  when  they  have  liberty  to  go  into  the  tide- 

*  The  growth  of  trout  chiefly  depends  on  the  supply  of  flies.  They 
grow  much  faster  and  larger  than  those  which  feed  on  worms,  or  even 
minnows. — Ed. 


60  THE  BRITISH 

way  and  salt  water  *  I  have  seen  middle-sized  trouts 
spawning  in  the  heads  of  springs  that  come  out  of  the 
rocky  mountains  near  Rothbury,  and  other  places^  in 
Northumberland,  whose  water  will  smoke  and  feel  warm 
for  a  considerable  way  down  the  hills.  I  have  wondered 
how  they  could  get  up  so  high,  having,  perhaps,  six  or 
ten  leaps,  of  about  a  yard  high,  to  surmount ;  but  in 
rainy  weather,  the  water  above,  joining  with  the  springs, 
makes  great  floods,  that  will  continue  two  or  three 
days ;  and  in  May,  June,  and  July,  I  have  seen  every 
little  hole,  though  scarcely  three  parts  filled  with  water, 
swarming  with  small  fry,  not  above  three  or  four  inches 
long,  that  would,  by  degrees,  replenish  the  becks,  and 
these  the  rivers/^ 

Notwithstanding  the  evidence  of  the  North-Country 
Angler's  friend,  trouts  live,  in  many  waters,  much  longer 
than  the  term  he  allows  them ;  but  their  age  may  de- 
pend upon  the  nature  of  the  water  which  they  inhabit. 

The  following  instance  of  longevity  appeared,  some 
years  since,  in  the  Westmoreland  Advertiser : — 

"Fifty  years  ago,  Mr.  W.  Hossop,  of  Bond  Hall, 
near  Broughton,  in  Fumess,  when  a  boy,  placed  a  small 
fell-beck  trout  in  a  well,  in  the  orchard  belonging  to  his 
family,  where  it  remained  till  last  week,  when  it  de- 
parted this  life,  not  through  any  sickness  or  infirmity 
attendant  on   old  age,  but  from  want  of  its  natural 

*  General  Popham  had  trout  of  a  great  age  in  his  waters  near 
Hungerford,  where  they  were  regularly  fed.  —  Ed. 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  61 

element,  water,  the  severe  drought  having  dried  up  the 
spring  that  supplied  the  well, — a  circumstance  that  has 
not  happened  for  the  last  sixty  years.  His  lips  and  gills 
were  perfectly  white ;  his  head  was  formerly  black,  and 
of  a  large  size.  He  regularly  came,  when  summoned  by 
his  master,  by  the  name  of  Ned,  to  feed  from  his  hand 
on  snails,  worms,  and  bread.  This  remarkable  fish  has 
been  visited,  and  considered  a  curiosity  by  the  neigh- 
bouring country,  for  several  years.^^ 

The  trout,  when  in  good  condition,  is  short  and 
thick,  with  a  small  head  and  a  broad  tail ;  the  sides  and 
head  marked  with  red  and  purple  spots,  with  the  belly  of 
a  silvery  whiteness. 

I  have  said  that  trout  come  into  season  in  April ; 
but  this  is  too  definite,  as  the  season  varies  vnth  the  cU- 
mate  and  the  nature  of  the  soil  and  water.  In  some 
parts  of  Wales,  and  in  Cumberland  and  Westmoreland, 
fly-fishing  commences  in  March,  and  the  fish  are  then 
daily  improving ;  whereas  in  Hampshire,  and  the  various 
trout-streams  in  the  neighbourhood  of  London,  few  an- 
glers think  of  opening  the  campaign  till  the  latter  end 
of  April,  and  even  then,  though  the  sport  is,  perhaps, 
the  best,  the  fish  taken  are  not  of  a  good  colour. 

The  trout  is  a  fish  of  prey,  and  a  voracious  feeder, 
but  is  also  shy  and  cautious;  and  though  he  affords 
excellent  diversion  to  the  skilful  angler,  he  is  not  easily 
lured  to  destruction  by  the  novice.  He  is,  also,  a  strong 
active  fish,  is  thoroughly  game ;  and  a  good-sized  trout 


62  THE  BRITISH 

will  try  the  angler's  skiU  before  he  makes  him  his 
own. 

I  shall  now  proceed  to  oflfer,  to  my  less  experienced 
brothers  of  the  angle^  such  instructions  in  the  art  of 
catching  a  trout  as  will,  I  trust,  enable  them  to  enjoy 
many  hours  of  success  by  river,  lake,  or  bum :  and  first  of 

THE    ARTIFICIAL   FLY. 

Fly-fishing  is  certainly  the  most  gentlemanly  and 
pleasant  kind  of  angling,  and  it  has  many  advantages 
over  every  other  mode  of  fishing.  In  the  first  place, 
your  apparatus  is  light  and  portable :  for  a  shght  rod, 
twelve  feet  long  (or  if  wanted  for  a  narrow  and  wooded 
stream,  one  of  ten  feet  only  would  be  more  convenient), 
a  reel  containing  thirty  yards  of  Une,  a  book  of  artificial 
flies,  and  a  landing  net,  and  you  are  fully  equipped  for 
the  sport.  In  the  second  place,  it  is  the  most  cleanly 
and  the  least  cruel  mode  of  angUng,  as  you  are  not 
obliged  to  soil  your  hands  by  ground  bait,  or  live  baits, 
nor  to  torture  a  living  fish,  or  insect,  on  your  hook. 
Another  charm  in  fly-fishing  is,  that  you  are  never  fixed 
to  one  spot,  but  continue  to  rove  along  the  banks  of  the 
stream,  enjoying  in  your  devious  path  all  the  varieties 
of  its  scenery;  the  exercise  induced  is  constant,  and  not 
too  violent,  and  is  equally  conducive  to  health  and  plea- 
sure. I  have  already  said  that  a  one-handed  rod  should 
be  ten  or  twelve  feet  long,  and  a  two-handed  rod,  from 
sixteen  to  eighteen  feet ;   to  either  of  which  must  be 


angler's  manual.  6& 

attached  a  reel  containing  thirty  yards  of  twisted  silk 
and  hair  Une,  tapering  from  a  moderate  thickness  to  a 
few  hairs,  at  the  end  of  which  you  are,  by  a  loop,  to 
attach  the  bottom  tackle.     This  should  be  made  of  round, 
even  gut,  and  three  yards  long;  some  persons  prefer 
four  yards :  but  I  think  too  great  a  length  of  gut  in- 
creases the  difSiculty  in  casting  the  line.     These  bottom 
tackles  may  be  purchased  at  the  shops  in  two,  three,  or 
four-yard  lengths.     These  lines  should  also  taper  gra- 
dually, the  gut  being  much  stronger  at  the  end  which 
is  to  be  attached  to  the  Une  on  the  reel,  than  at  the  end 
to  which  the  stretcher-fly  is  to  be  fixed.     When  you  fish 
with  only  two  flies,  the  second  (or  drop-fly)  should  be  at 
a  distance  of  thirty-six  or  forty  inches  from  the  bottom, 
or  stretcher-fly ;  but  if  you  use  three  flies,  the  first  drop 
should  only  be  thirty-four  inches  from  the  stretcher,  and 
the  second  drop  thirty  inches  from  the  first.     These 
drop-flies  are  attached  to  the  line  by  loops,  and  should 
not  be  more  than  three  inches  long ;  and  by  having  the 
gut  rather  stronger  than  for  the  end-fly,  they  will  stand 
nearly  at  a  right  angle  from  the  line.     I  recommend  the 
beginner  to  commence  with  one  fly  only :  but,  at  most, 
he  must  not  use  more  than  two ;  and  for  his  mode  of 
casting,  or  throwing  his  fly,  now  his  tackle  is  prepared, 
I  fear  Uttle  useful  instruction  can  be  given,  as  skill  and 
dexterity  in  this  point  must  depend  upon  practice.     I 
may,  however,  advise  him,  not  to  attempt  to  cast  a  long 
line  at  first,  but  to  try  his  strength,  and  gain  faciUty  by 


64  TSE  BRITISH 

degi'ees.  He  must  make  up  his  mind  to  hear  many  a 
crack,  like  a  coachman's  whip,  and  find  the  consequent 
loss  of  his  flies,  before  he  can  direct  his  stretcher  to  a 
given  point,  and  let  it  fall  on  the  water  lightly  as  a 
gossamer.  When  I  come  to  speak  of  the  diflferent  trout- 
streams  in  the  neighbourhood  of  London,  and  elsewhere, 
I  shall  recommend  the  flies  to  be  used  for  the  place  and 
season :  in  the  meantime,  I  shall  attempt  to  describe  the 
haunts  of  the  trout. 

He  is  fond  of  swift,  clear  streams,  running  over 
chalky,  limestone,  or  gravelly  bottoms ;  but  he  is  more 
frequently  in  the  eddies,  by  the  side  of  the  stream,  than 
in  the  midst  of  it.  A  mill-tail  is  a  favourite  haunt  of 
the  trout ;  for  he  finds  protection  under  the  apron,  which 
is  generally  hollow,  and  has  the  advantage  of  being  in 
the  eddy,  by  the  side  of  the  mill-race,  awaiting  his  food. 
He  delights  also  in  cascades,  tumbling  bays,  and  wiers. 
The  larger  trout  generally  have  their  hold  under  roots  of 
overhanging  trees,  and  beneath  hollow  banks,  in  the 
deepest  parts  of  the  river.  The  junction  of  little  rapids, 
formed  by  water  passing  round  an  obstruction  in  the 
midst  of  the  general  current,  is  a  likely  point  at  which  to 
raise  a  trout ;  also  at  the  roots  of  trees,  or  in  other  places 
where  the  froth  of  the  stream  collects.  All  such  places 
are  favourable  for  sport,  as  insects  follow  the  same  course 
as  the  bubbles,  and  are  there  sought  by  the  fish.  After 
sunset,  in  summer,  the  large  fish  leave  their  haunts,  and 
maybe  found  on  the  scowers,  and  at  the  tails  of  streams; 


4 
♦ 


*■ 


angler's  manual.  65 

and  during  this  time,  so  long  as  the  angler  can  see  his 
fly  on  the  water,  he  may  expect  sport.  Unfortunately, 
when  the  deepening  shades  of  twilight  drive  the  sports- 
man home,  he  is  succeeded  on  dark  nights  by  the 
poacher,  with  his  night-lines;  and  I  am  sorry  to  say  that 
the  North-Country  Angler  gives  too  faithful  a  picture 
of  this  night-fishing,  which  he  himself  practised. 

And  now,  having  told  the  young  angler  where  to 
search  for  fish,  I  must  strongly  impress  upon  him  the 
necessity  of  keeping  out  of  sight  of  the  fish,*  for,  if  once 
seen,  not  any  kind  of  bait  he  can  offer  will  tempt  a  trout 
to  take  it ;  therefore,  approach  the  stream  with  caution, 
keeping  as  far  from  it  as  possible :  first,  fish  the  side 
nearest  to  you,  and  then  cast  your  line  so  as  to  drop  just 
under  the  bank  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  stream, 
drawing  it,  by  gentle  snatches,  towards  you,  always  con- 
tinuing careful  to  shew  yourself  as  little  as  possible. 

Some  persons  recommend  fishing  up  the  stream,  and 
throwing  the  fly  before  them;  others  walk  down  the 
river,  and  cast  the  fly  before  them.  For  my  own  part 
(after  much  experience),  whenever  I  can  do  so  with  con- 
venience, I  cast  my  fly  a  little  above  me,  and  across  the 
stream,  drawing  it  gently  towards  me.f     If  the  wind 

*  The  young  angler  should  always  bear  in  mind,  that  if  he  can  see 
a  trout  the  trout  can  also  see  him;  and  therefore  no  whipping  wiU 
bring  him  to  the  bait. — Ed. 

t  The  angler's  fly  should  always  be  made  to  act  on  the  water  as 
nearly  as  possible  to  the  real  one — that  is,  beating  down  stream. 
Nature  is  always  a  good  guide  to  anglers. — Ed. 


66  THE  BRITISH 

should  be  against  you^  you  will  be  constrained  to  stand 
close  to  the  water's  edge^  and  make  your  cast  close  to  the 
bank  on  which  you  standi  either  up  or  down  the  stream^ 
as  the  wind  may  serve.  Avoids  if  possible,  fishing  with 
the  Sim  behind  you,  as  the  moving  shadow  of  yourself 
and  rod  will  alarm  the  fish.  The  finer  the  tackle  (parti- 
cularly the  bottom  tackle),  and  the  hghter  the  fly  falls  on 
the  water,  the  greater  will  be  your  sport ;  indeed  some 
anglers  use  only  a  single  hair  for  their  bottom  tackle : 
but  when  the  water  you  fish  is  weedy,  or  much  wooded, 
a  single  hair  is  very  difficult  to  manage;  but  in  ponds 
or  streams  free  from  impediments,  it  may  be  used  by  a 
skilful  hand  with  great  advantage.  The  winds  most  fa- 
vourable to  the  angler  are  south,  south-east,  south-west, 
and  north-west ;  but  in  March  and  April  this  latter  wind 
is  generally  too  cold.  A  fresh  breeze  is  favourable, 
especially  for  lake-fishing,  mill-dams,  or  the  still  deeps 
of  rivers,  as  ithe  ripple  on  the  water  caused  by  the 
breeze  has  the  same  effect  as  a  rapid  stream  in  pre- 
venting the  sharp-sighted  trout  from  discovering  the 
deception  of  the  artificial  fly. 

In  lake-fishing  you  can  hardly  have  too  much  wind, 
if  you  can  manage  your  boat  comfortably,  and  keep  your 
fly  on  the  water.  There  are  very  few  lakes,  with  which 
I  am  acquainted,  where  good  sport  can  be  had  from  the 
shore :  to  insure  success,  a  boat  is  indispensable ;  and  if 
you  can  procure  a  boatman  well  acquainted  with  the 
water  and  the  management  of  his  boat,  the  battle  is  half 


angler's  manual.  67 

won.  After  sunset  the  fish  seek  the  shallow  water,  and 
a  lake  may  then  be  fished  from  the  shore.  I  have  found, 
fi-om  long  experience  in  lake-fishing,  that  it  is  better  to 
cast  your  line  towards  the  shore,  rather  than  from  the 
shore,  or  up  or  down  the  lake.  The  boat  should  be 
maintained,  as  far  as  possible,  at  a  proper  distance  from 
the  shore — that  is,  so  that  your  flies  may  fall  where  the 
water  begins  to  deepen  from  the  shore.  The  boat  should 
be  allowed  to  drift  with  the  wind,  and  the  oars  used  as 
seldom  as  possible,  and  merely  to  keep  it  in  a  proper 
position  and  distance  from  the  shore.  The  flies  used  in 
lake-fishing  are  larger  than  those  for  rivers  :  and  I  have 
frequently  observed  that  the  winged  flies  answer  better 
than  palmers.  Perhaps  the  cause  of  this  may  be,  that 
many  rivers  and  small  trout-streams  are  bordered  with 
trees,  which  overhang  them,  and  from  which  drop  the 
insects  that  the  palmers  imitate ;  whereas  the  shores  of 
the  lakes  are  generally  rocky,  or  stony,  and  mostly 
denuded  of  trees,  and,  consequently,  do  not  produce 
this  kind  of  food  for  their  finny  inhabitants. 

The  time  to  commence  fly-fishing  must  depend 
upon  the  earliness  or  lateness  of  the  season,  and  on  the 
locaUty  of  the  water.  In  many  parts  of  Wales  the  fly 
is  used  in  March,  and  April  is  considered  the  best 
month  in  the  year.  Whilst  I  am  writing  this  article 
the  snow  is  falling ;  yet  I  read  in  The  Times  newspaper 
of  the  day,  April  18th,  1838,  the  following  paragraph, 
headed  ^^Good  news  for  Anglers. — So  very  plentiful 


68  THE  BRITISH 

is  fish  in  the  river  Wye,  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Builth,  that  Stephen  Pritchard,  the  fishing-tackle 
maker  of  Builth,  caught,  on  Tuesday  last,  in  the  course 
of  four  hours,  no  less  than  143  grayling,  trout,  and 
salmon-pink ;  and  in  five  hours,  on  the  following  day, 
225  fish  of  the  same  description. — Gloucester  Journal^ 

This  shews  how  early  the  season  commences  on  the 
Wye,  compared  with  the  streams  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  London ;  for  the  last  week  in  April  is  early  enough 
to  commence  with  the  fly  in  the  Colne,  the  Wandle,  the 
Cray,  or  the  Dart;  but  with  bottom-fishing,  or  min- 
now-fishing, you  may  commence  a  month  sooner :  not 
that  the  fish,  in  point  of  quality  as  food,  will  be  worth 
catching. 

In  the  month  of  April,  early  in  the  morning,  the 
fly  is  seldom  on  the  water,  and  the  worm,  or  minnow, 
may  be  used.  K  the  day  be  fine  you  may  take  to  the 
fly  after  eight  o'clock ;  and  from  May  to  August  you 
cannot  be  too  early  or  too  late  with  the  fly.  I  shall 
give  four  steel  plates,  containing  twenty-seven  artificial 
flies,  and  each  fly  will  be  named,  numbered,  and  de- 
scribed; so  that  those  who  do  not  make  their  own  flies 
may  have  them  made  at  the  tackle-shops  from  the  en- 
graving and  the  description  given.  I  shall  also  give  a 
fourth  list,  without  engravings ;  and  when  I  come  to 
describe  the  trout-streams  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
London,  and  elsewhere,  I  shall  recommend  the  flies 
best  adapted  to  each  stream,     I  seldom  use  more  than 


ANOLER^S  MANUAL.  69 

three  flies  on  my  line,  even  for  lake-fishing;  others 
use  four  or  five,  which  is  the  practice  of  a  noble  lord, 
an  excellent  sportsman,  with  whom  I  fished  on  the 
lakes  at  Capel  Curig.  He  used  five  flies,  and  I  used 
three ;  we  fished  from  the  same  boat,  and  his  lordship 
caught  the  greater  number  of  fish  :  but  by  fishing  with 
finer  tackle  I  caught  a  much  greater  weight  of  fish,  as 
the  large  ones  are  much  more  shy  than  the  smaller.* 

In  the  months  of  July  and  August  very  little  sport 
can  be  expected  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  in  a  bright 
water ;  but  at  sunrise,  and  after  simset,  a  few  good  fish 
may  be  taken;  and  during  a  cloudy  day  at  this 
season,  when  the  water  is  clearing  after  a  fresh,  they 
will  rise  all  day  long. 

THE  NATURAL  FLY 

Is  in  great  favour  during  the  drake  season — that  is, 
from  the  latter  end  of  May  to  the  middle  of  June — 
with  many  expert  anglers,  and  is  generally  used  with 
the  ^'  blow  line,''  that  is,  a  fine  line  as  much  longer 
than  the  rod  as  the  wind  will  carry  out,  so  as  to  fall 
gently  on  the  water,  with  little  effort  from  the  angler. 
The  green  and  grey  drake  are  the  flies  generally  used 
for  this  kind  of  fishing,  and  the  common  practice  is  to 
place  two  flies  on  one  hook,  and  in  this  manner  the 

*  An  angler  when  fishing  in  any  river  with  which  he  is  not  well 
acquainted  should  always  consult  local  authorities  as  to  the  best  sort 
of  flies  to  be  used.     This  would  save  him  much  trouble.  — Ed. 


r 

I 


70  THE  BRITISH 

largest  trout  are  taken^  as  they  will  rise  in  the  still 
deeps  to  the  natural  fly;  and  when  the  may-fly  is  fall 
on  the  water,  every  fish  in  the  river  is  feeding.  I 
have  not  entered  minutely  into  this  mode  of  fishing,  as 
my  practice,  from  preference,  has  been  with  the  arti- 
ficial  fly ;  but  those  who  enjoy  this  kind  of  sport  will 
find  excellent  accommodation  at  the  Rutland  Arms, 
Bakewell,  Derbyshire, — a  beautiful  river  (the  Wye), 
foil  of  fine  trout,  and  skilfiil  brothers  of  the  angle. 

FISHING  WITH  THE  MINNOW,  OR  BLEAK, 

Is,  in  many  waters,  prohibited,  as  nothing  but  the 
fly  is  permitted;  but  when  it  may  be  used,  it  will  be 
found  a  most  destructive  bait  for  spring  fishing,  and 
will  take  the  largest  trout.  March  and  April  are  the 
best  months  for  the  minnow,  but  it  may  be  used  at  any 
season  when  the  water  is  just  clearing  after  a  fresh,  and 
is  of  an  amber  colour. 

The  minnow- rod  should  be  of  bamboo  cane,  at  least 
sixteen  feet  long,  with  a  tolerably  stiffs  top ;  and  twenty 
or  twenty-five  yards  of  line,  something  strongei;  than 
your  fly-line,  will  be  sufficient.  Some  anglers  use  a 
rod  twenty  feet  long :  to  enable  them  to  fish  a  wide 
stream  this  length  of  rod  is  necessary,  as  the  line,  in 
spinning  the  minnow,  is  somewhat  short  of  the  rod. 
If  you  wade  the  stream,  a  rod  of  twelve  feet  will  be 
long  enough.  You  should  choose  your  minnow  of  a 
moderate  size,  and  of  a  pearly  whiteness ;  and  if  they 


ANGLER  S  MANUAL. 


71 


I 


have  been  preserved  a  few  days  in  a  tub  of  clear  wat^, 
they  will  become  scoured  and  more  fit  for  use. 

As  to  the  manner  of  baiting  with  the  minnow^  such 
various  modes  are  in  use  that  I  scarcely  know  which  to 
recommend  in  preference.  I  shall^  however^  describe 
two  or  three  methods^  each  of  which  I  have  found  suc- 
cessful. The  first  I  shall  describe  is  particularly  calcu- 
lated for  clear  water,  as  your  tackle  is  finer  than  in 
any  other  mode  of  minnow-fishing  with  which  I  am 
acquainted,  and  although  it  cannot  be  procured  ready- 
made  at  the  tackle-shops,  it  could  be  made  to  order, 
or  the  angler  would  have  little  difficulty  in  making  it 
himseK. 

In  the  first  place,  procure  a  piece  of  brass  wire, 
about  three  inches  long ;  one  end  must  be  formed  into 
a  small  loop,  and  the  other  end  flattened  with  a  ham- 
mer, and  sharpened  in  the  shape  of  a  spear  head.  This 
wire  must  be  drawn  through  a  tapering  piece  of  lead, 
cast  for  the  purpose,  when  it  will  have  the  appearance 
of  Fig.  1  in  the  woodcut  annexed.  Wires  of  this  de- 
scription may  be  kept  by  you,  of  difierent  lengths,  to 
suit  the  size  of  the  bait-fish  used. 

Fig,  1. 


Fig  2, 


72  THE  BRITISH 

Enter  the  spear  end  of  the  leaded  wire  at  the 
mouth  of  the  minnow^  and  bring  it  out  at  the  fork 
of  the  tail. 

Then  take  a  triangular  hook,  formed  by  tying  to- 
gether three  No.  8  or  9  hooks,  on  a  piece  of  strong 
gut,  one  inch  and  a  quarter  long,  with  a  small  loop  at 
the  end,  as  in  Fig.  2.  Now,  with  a  baiting-needle, 
enter  the  point  under  the  back  fin  of  the  bait,  when 
one  of  the  triangular  hooks  will  enter  the  bait  under 
the  back  fin,  the  other  two  will  lie  by  its  sides,  and  the 
loop  of  the  gut  will  be  even  with  the  brass  loop  in  the 
minnow's  mouth. 

••You  must  now  prepare  a  minnow-trace  of  three 
yards  of  gut,  at  one  end  of  which  tie  on  a  Limerick 
hook.  No.  9;  twelve  inches  above  thi^  place  a  fine 
swivel,  and  twenty-four  inches  higher  up  another 
swivel,  and  your  trace  is  ready.  Next,  enter  the  hook 
at  the  end  of  your  trace,  at  the  back  of  the  bait's  head, 
and  pass  it  through  the  two  loops  now  in  its  mouth, 
and  bring  it  out  under  the  lips,  when  the  bait's  mouth 
will  be  closed.  Then  bend  slightly  the  spear  of  brass 
wire,  so  as  to  gently  curve  the  tail  of  the  minnow,  and 
then  tie  the  tail  fast  to  the  wire  with  white  thread,  and 
you  are  rea,dy  for  the  stream. 

Various  kinds  of  minnow-tackle  may  be  purchased 
at  the  tackle-shops;  and  that  represented  in  the  an- 
nexed woodcut  is  a  mode  of  spinning  the  minnow,  or 
bleak,  that  may  be  employed  either  for  pike  or  trout- 


ANGLER  S  MANUAL. 


73 


fishing,  and  which  is  much  in  use  on  the  Thames  in 
spinning  the  bleak  for  large  trout. 


The  above  is  the  best  minnow  tackle,  but  there 
should  be  three  hooks  at  the  end  instead  of  two. 
Many  fish  are  lost  for  want  of  this. 

The  hooks  for  this  kind  of  tackle  should  be 
Limerick,  No.  9  or  10.  Fig.  1  will  shew  the  number 
and  situation  of  the  hooks,  tied  on  to  a  line  about 
twelve  inches  long,  with  a  loop  at  the  end.  The  lip- 
hook  is  movable  to  suit  the  size  of  the  fish  used  as  a 
bait;  and,  indeed,  the  space  the  other  hooks  occupy 
should  be  suitable  to  the  size  of  the  bait. 

One  of  the  end  double  hooks  must  be  fixed  in  the 
bait^s  tail,  which  must  be  slightly  bent,  and  then  fixed 
by  inserting  the  single  reversed  hook  in  the  side  of  the 
bait.     One  of  the  second  double  hooks  must  then  be 


74  THE  BRITISH 

entered  in  the  back  of  the  fish ;  then  the  third ;  and, 
lastly^  the  hp-hook,  which  is  movable^  by  hair-loops  to 
suit  the  length  of  the  bait.  This  hook  must  be  passed 
through  the  lips  of  the  minnow  or  bleak^  and  a  small 
shot  placed  under  it^  to  keep  it  steady. 

This  tackle  is  often  made  with  triangular  hooks  in- 
stead of  double  hooks^  and  will  answer  equally  as  well 
for  spinning  either  minnow  or  bleak ;  and  if  gimp  be 
used  instead  of  gut^  and  No,  7  hooks  instead  of  No.  9^ 
it  will  be  an  excellent  mode  of  fishing  for  pike.  For 
pike-fishings  the  length  from  the  lip  to  the  end  hooks 
should  be  about  three  inches  and  a  half;  and  by 
having  the  lip-hook  loose^  so  as  to  move  up  and  down 
the  trace^  it  will  answer  for  any  sized  bait. 

The  North-Country  Angler's  method  is  as  follows  : — 

*'  I  have  a  gilse-hook  (No.  3  or  4)  at  the  end  of  the 
line,  but  wrapped  no  further  on  the  end  of  the  shank 
than  to  make  it  secure,  and  to  leave  more  room  to  bait : 
an  inch,  or  very  little  more,  from  the  shank  end  of  the 
gilse-hook,  I  wrap  on  a  strong  hook,  about  half  the 
size  of  the  other.  I  put  the  point  of  the  large  hook  in 
at  the  mouth  of  the  minnow,  and  out  at  the  tail,  on  the 
right  side  of  the  minnow,  bending  it  half  round  as  I 
put  it  in ;  then  I  put  the  other  hook  in,  below  the 
under  chap,  which  keeps  the  minnow^s  mouth  quite 
close. 

"  When  I  am  in  no  hurry,  I  tie  the  tail  and  hook 
together  with  a  very  small  white  thread :  before  I  enter 


ANGLER*S  MANUAL.  75 

the  little  hook^  I  draw  up  the  minnow  to  its  full 
length,  and  make  it  fit  the  bending  of  the  great  hook, 
to  make  it  twirl  round  when  it  is  drawn  in  the  water. 
When  all  is  in  order,  I  take  the  line  in  my  left  hand,  a 
little  above  the  bait,  and  throw  it  under-hand,  lifting 
up  my  right,  and  the  rod,  that  the  bait  may  fall  gently 
on  the  water. 

"  I  stand  at  the  very  top  of  the  stream,  as  far  off  as 
my  tackle  wiU  permit,  and  let  the  bait  drop  in,  a  yard 
from  the  middle  of  it:  I  draw  the  minnow'  by  gJntle 
pulls,  of  about  a  yard  at  a  time,  across  the  stream, 
turning  my  rod  up  the  water,  within  half  a  yard  of  its 
surface,  keeping  my  eye  fixed  on  the  minnow. 

'^ When  a  fish  takes  it,  he  generally  hooks  himself: 
however,  I  give  him  a  smart  stroke,  and  if  he  does  not 
get  off  then,  I  am  pretty  sure  of  him.  In  this  manner 
I  throw  in,  three  or  four  times,  at  the  upper  part  of  a 
stream,  but  never  twice  in  the  same  place,  but  a  yard 
lower  every  cast.  I  always  throw  quite  over  the 
stream,  but  let  the  bait  cross  it  in  a  round,  like  a  semi- 
circle, about  a  foot  below  the  surface,  which  the  two 
shot  of  No.  3  or  4,  which  I  always  have  upon  my  line, 
nine  or  ten  inches  from  the  hooks,  will  sink  it  to. 
When  I  am  drawing  the  bait  across  the  stream,  I  keep 
the  top  of  the  rod  within  less  than  a  yard  from  the 
water,  and  draw  it  downwards,  that  the  bait  may  be  at 
the  greater  distance  from  me,  and  the  first  thing  that 
the  fish  will  see.     Sometimes  I  can  see  the  fish  before 


76  THE  BRITISH 

he  takes  the  bait,  and  then  I  give  in  the  rod  a  little, 
that  the  minnow  may,  as  it  were,  meet  him  half  way ; 
but  if  I  think  he  is  shy,  I  pull  it  away,  and  do  not 
throw  it  in  again  till  he  has  got  to  his  feeding  place. 

^^  The  twirling  of  the  minnow  is  the  beauty  of  this 
kind  of  angling,  the  fish  seeing  at  a  greater  distance, 
and  fancying  it  is  making  all  the  haste  it  can  to  escape 
from  them;  and  they  make  the  same  haste  to  catch 
it/' 

The  tackle  here  described  may  be  also  purchased 
complete,  but  somewhat  improved,  at  the  tackle-shops* 

Our  excellent  Walton,  whom  Cotton  called  "the 
best  minnow-fisher  in  England,'^  gives  the  following 
directions : — 

"And  then  you  are  to  know,  that  your  minnow 
must  be  put  on  your  hook ;  that  it  must  turn  round 
when  it  is  drawn  against  the  stream ;  and,  that  it  may 
turn  nimbly,  you  must  put  it  on  a  big-sized  hook,  as  I 
shall  now  direct  you,  which  is  thus : — Put  your  hook  in 
at  his  mouth,  and  out  at  his  gill ;  then,  having  drawn 
your  hook  two  or  three  inches  beyond,  or  through  his 
gill,  put  it  again  into  his  mouth,  and  the  point  and 
beard  out  at  his  tail ;  and  then  tie  the  hook  and  his 
tail  about,  very  neatly,  with  a  white  thread,  which  will 
make  it  the  apter  to  turn  quick  in  the  water :  that  done, 
pull  back  the  part  of  your  line  which  was  slack  when 
you  did  put  your  hook  into  the  minnow  the  second 
time ;  I  say,  pull  that  part  of  your  line  back,  so  that  it 


angler's  manual.  ^1 

shall  fasten  the  head  so  that  the  body  of  the  minnow 
shall  be  almost  straight  on  your  hook :  this  done,  try 
how  it  will  turn,  by  drawing  it  across  the  water  or 
against  a  stream ;  and  if  it  do  not  turn  nimbly,  then 
turn  the  tail  a  little  to  the  right  or  left  hand,  and  try 
again  till  it  turn  quick,  for,  if  not,  you  are  in  danger  to 
catch  nothing :  for  know,  that  it  is  impossible  that  it 
should  turn  too  quick/' 

Artificial  minnows  are  now  made  so  closely  to  imi- 
tate the  fish,  that  in  coloured  water,  or  in  sharp  streams 
and  mill-tails,  they  will  be  found  an  eflfective  substitute 
when  the  natural  bait  cannot  be  procured. 

Deep,  rapid  currents ;  mill-tails,  when  the  wheel  is 
at  work ;  tumbling  bays,  wiers,  and  flood-gates,  are  the 
best  places  for  spinning  the  minnow.  There  is  another 
bait,  of  rather  recent  invention,  which  is  used  in  the 
same  situations,  and  for  the  same  purposes  as  the  arti- 
ficial minnow,  and  is  called  a  Kill-devil :  it  is  now  too 
well  known  in  the  tackle-shops  to  need  description ;  and 
I  can  recommend  its  use  with  confidence,  having  myself 
killed  very  large  fish  with  it. 

SPINNING    THE    BLEAK. 

Very  large  trout  are  caught  in  the  Thames,  from 
Teddington  Lock  upwards,  by  spinning  the  bleak  \  and 
the  minnow  tackle  described  in  page  72,  if  made  upon 
a  somewhat  larger  scale,  will  answer  for  the  bleak.  In 
lake-fishing,  the  same  tackle  may  be  used;  but  your 


78  THE  BRITISH 

bait  will  be  a  small  trout  or  a  salmon-pink.  This  mode 
of  fishing  is  so  much  like  minnow-fishings  that  the  in- 
structions for  one  will  serve  for  the  other. 


BUSH-FISHING^    OR   BIBBING. 

One  great  recommendation  to  bush-fishing  is,  that 
it  can  be  practised  with  success  in  the  months  of  June, 
July,  and  August,  when  the  river  is  low  and  the  sun- 
shine bright,  and  in  the  middle  of  the  day ;  at  a  time 
and  season  when  no  other  circumstance  would  stir  a 
fish,  the  largest  trout  are  taken  by  this  method.  The 
angler  must  be  provided  with  a  fourteen-feet  rod,  with 
a  stiff  top,  and  strong  running  tackle ;  he  wiU  seldom 
have  to  use  more  than  a  yard  of  hue,  the  bottom  of 
which  should  be  of  strong  silkworm  gut.  I  recommend 
strong  tackle,  because  in  confined  situations,  overhung 
with  wood,  you  will  not  have  room  to  play  your  fish, 
but  must  hold  him  tight,  and  depend  on  the  strength 
of  the  tackle. 

The  size  of  your  ^ook  must  depend  on  the  size  of 
the  fly ;  from  No.  7  to  9  for  smaU  flies  and  grubs,  and 
for  beetles.  No.  4  or  5,  For  bush-fishing  you  should 
be  provided  with  well-scoured  brandlings  and  red  worms, 
cad-baits,  clock-baits,  earth-grubs,  beetles,  grashoppers, 
and  a  horn  of  flies,  or,  at  least,  as  many  of  the  above  as 
you  can  procure.  A  small  green  grub,  or  caterpillar, 
which  may  be  got  in  June  and  July,  by  shaking  over  a 


angler's  manual.  79 

sheet  or  table-cloth  the  boughs  of  an  oak-tree^  is  a 
most  kiUing  bait  for  this  kind  of  fishing. 

Great  caution  is  necessary  in  using  your  rod  and 
line ;  for,  if  there  are  few  bushes  or  brambles  to  conceal 
you,  the  water  must  be  approached  warily,  as  the  large 
trout  often  he  near  the  surface,  and  if  you  are  once 
seen  they  will  fly  from  you.  If  the  water  should  be 
deep,  dark,  and  overhung  with  thick  foliage,  so  that  you 
can  scarcely  find  an  open  space  for  your  bait,  your  line 
must  be  shortened  to  half  a  yard,  and  sometimes  less. 

If  your  flies  are  small,  use  two  of  them  at  once,  as 
they  frequently  fall  into  the  water  in  couples ; — when 
dibbing  with  the  fly,  if  you  see  your  fish,  drop  the  fly 
gently  on  to  the  water,  about  a  foot  before  him,  and  if 
you  are  not  seen  he  wiU  eagerly  take  it.  When  your 
fish  is  struck,  do  not  allow  him  to  get  down  his  head, 
for  fear  of  roots  and  weeds,  but  keep  him  to  the  top  of 
the  water,  where  his  fins  and  strength  wiU  be  of  little 
use  to  him ;  and  in  this  situation,  with  good  tackle,  you 
may  soon  exhaust  him  and  make  him  your  own  by  a 
landing-net,  the  handle  of  which  should  be  two  yards 
long :  or  he  may  be  landed  by  a  hook  or  gaff,  with 
a  long  handle;  and  this,  in  some  situations,  amidst 
close,  thorny  brambles,  will  be  found  more  useful  than 
a  landing-net,  which  is  liable  to  be  caught  in  the 
bushes. 

When  you  use  the  worm,  the  caddis,  or  any  other 
grub,  you  will  require  a  single  shot.  No.  6,  to  sink  your 


80  THE  BRITISH 

bait,  for  it  cannot  sink  too  slowly,  or  cause  too  little 
disturbance  in  the  water. 

I  shall  conclude  my  remarks  on  bush-fishing  by 
another  quotation  ftom  the  North-Country  Angler,  he 
being  a  practical  man  on  whom  you  can  depend  : — 

'^  I  have  often  been  agreeably  amused,  sitting  behind 
a  bush  that  has  hung  over  the  water  two  yards  or  more, 
and  observing  the  trouts  taking  their  rounds,  and  patrol- 
ling in  order,  according  to  their  quality.  Sometimes  I 
have  seen  three  or  four  private  men  coming  up  together, 
under  the  shade,  and  presently  an  officer,  or  man  of 
quality,  twice  as  big,  comes  from  his  country-seat  under 
a  bank,  or  great  stone,  and  rushes  among  them  as 
furiously  as  I  once  saw  a  young  justice  of  peace  do  to 
three  poor  anglers ;  and  as  I  cannot  approve  of  such 
proceedings  I  have,  with  some  extraordinary  pleasure, 
revenged  the  weaker  upon  the  stronger,  by  dropping  in 
my  bait  half  a  yard  before  him.  With  what  an  air  of 
authority  have  I  seen  the  qualified — what  shall  I  call 
him  ? — extend  his  jaws  and  take  in  the  delicious  morsel, 
and  then  marching  slowly  ofiF  in  quest  of  more,  till 
stopped  by  a  smart  stroke  which  I  have  given  him, 
though  there  is  no  occasion  to  do  so  in  this  way  of  fish- 
ing, for  the  great  ones  always  hook  themselves. 

"There  are  some  other  observations  I  have  made, 
which  the  angler  may  find  the  benefit  of;  one  is,  that, 
although  the  shade  of  trees  and  bushes  is  much  longer 
and  greater  on  the  south,  or  sun  side  of  the  river,  than 


ANGL£B^S  MANUAL.  81 

on  the  north,  yet  I  always  find  the  most  and  the  largest 
trouts  on  that  side.  I  suppose  the  sun's  being  more 
intense  and  warm  on  the  north  side,  may  occasion  more 
^  flies,  erucas,  and  insects,  to  creep  upon  those  bushes, 
and,  consequently,  the  more  fish  will  frequent  them. 

^'  When  the  trees,  or  bushes,  are  very  close,  I  advise 
the  bush-angler  to  take  a  hedging-bill,  or  hatchet,  and 
cut  off  two  or  three  branches  here  and  there,  at  proper 
places  and  distances,  and  so  make  little  convenient 
openings,  at  which  he  may  easily  put  in  his  rod  and 
line ;  but  this  is  to  be  done  some  time  before  you  come 
there  to  fish. 

"  If  you  come  to  a  woody  place  where  you  have  no 
such  conveniences,  and  where,  perhaps,  there  is  a  long 
pool,  and  no  angling  with  the  fly,  or  throwing  the  rod, 
there  you  may  be  sure  of  many  large  fish.  For  that 
very  reason,  I  have  chosen  such  places,  though  very 
troublesome,  when  I  have  been  forced  to  creep  under 
trees  and  bushes,  dragging  my  rod  after  me,  with  the 
very  top  of  it  in  my  hand,  to  get  near  the  water,  and  I 
have  been  well  paid  for  all  my  trouble.  Whilst  you  are 
getting  in  your  rod,  throw  a  brandling,  or  grub,  or  what 
you  fish  with,  into  the  water,  which  will  make  the  fish 
take  your  bait  the  more  boldly. 

"  There  is  one  bait  with  which  I  have  killed  greater 
fish  than  any  other;  I  dress  my  hook  with  a  brown^  or 
dark  head,  and  with  a  pretty  large  wing  of  a  mottled 
drake's  feather,  or  a  starling's  wing,  and  a  bristle  on  the 

G 


82  THE  BRITISH 

back  of  the  hook ;  I  usually  put  on  a  large  grub^  or  a 
cad-bait,  beetle,  or  grashopper,  and  have  had  a  little 
bottle  with  oil  of  ivy,  dissolved  assafoetida,  or  other 
strong-scented  oil,  and  dipped  the  end  of  this  bait  into 
it,  and  I  have  never  known  a  fish  refuse  it,  that  has  not 
seen  me,  or  been  chased  away. 

^^  There  are  some  pools  that  have  no  bushes  at  all, 
but  only  hollow  banks,  in  some  places,  under  which  the 
great  fish  will  lie  in  the  day-time.  I  have  gone  softly 
to  such  places,  and  have  dropped  in  a  suitable  bait,  close 
by  the  bank,  and  have  presently  had  a  good  fish.  When 
I  use  cork,  chamois,  or  buff,  instead  of  natural  baits,  I 
always  drop  them  in  some  strong-scented  oil,  in  shade- 
fishing,  because  the  fish  comes  slowly  to  the  bait,  and  if 
he  does  not  smell  something  like  the  natural  bait,  he 
wUl  not  take  it,  though  well  imitated.'^ 

WOEM-FISHING, 

For  trout,  is  not  the  most  pleasant,  but  one  of  the  surest 
modes  of  takiag  fish,  at  certain  times  and  seasons.  In 
March  and  April,  when  the  weather  is  cold,  and  the 
fly  not  on  the  water,  the  worm  may  be  used  with  suc- 
cess ;  and,  at  all  times  when  the  water  is  discoloured  by 
a  flood,  it  is  the  only  bait  that  can  be  used,  with  the 
exception  of  salmon-roe.  In  the  little  becks,  or  bums, 
of  Scotland  and  the  north  of  England,  I  have  taken 
great  numbers  of  small  trout,  even  in  bright  water, 
during  the  u!nfavourable  months  of  July  and  August, 


angler's  manual.  83 

by  using  a  single  hair  for  my  bottom  tackle^  leaded  with 
one  shot  com.  No.  6,  and  baiting  with  a  single  well- 
scoured  red  worm. 

For  worm-fishing  your  rod  should  be  of  bamboo- 
cane,  and  from  sixteen  to  twenty  feet  long,  and  the  line 
generally  something  shorter  than  the  rod ;  but  it  may 
be  shortened  or  lengthened,  according  to  circumstances, 
by  your  reel.  The  best  worms  for  a  large  trout  are  the 
lob-worm  and  the  marsh-worm ;  but,  with  many  anglers, 
the  brandling  is  a  great  favourite.  For  the  mode  of 
baiting  your  hook,  &c.  see  the  article  on  Worms, 
page  11.* 

The  method  of  casting  your  line  wiU  depend  upon 
the  nature  of  the  water :  but,  as  a  general  rule,  I  may 
say,  keep  the  point  of  your  rod,  as  nearly  as  possible, 
perpendicular  to  your  bait,  steadily  following  it  as  the 
bait  drags  along  the  bottom  with  the  point  of  your 
rod,  arid,  when  you  feel  a  bite,  let  the  fish  turn  before 
you  strike. 

Unless  the  stream  be  rapid,  or  deep,  a  single  shot 
(No.  4)  will  be  sufficient  to  sink  your  worm ;  but  in 
a  deep,  heavy  current,  two,  three,  or  more,  of  the  same 
size,  will  be  required.  In  fishing  across  a  stream  with 
a  single  hair  and  a  small  red  worm,  run  from  your 
reel  Kne  to  the  length  of  the  rod,  and  taking  hold  of 

*  AU  this  advice  about  worm-fishing  is  cruel,  unnecessary ,  and 
unsportsmanlike,  and,  in  fact,  is  altogether  exploded  by  **  honest 
anglers." — Ed. 


84  TH£  BRITISH 

the  line  about  twelve  inches  above  the  bait  with  your 
left  hand^  draw  it  towards  you  till  the  line  tightens 
and  the  top  of  the  rod  bends.  Holding  the  rod  firmly 
in  the  right  hand^  let  go  the  line,  and  with  a  little 
practice  you  will  find  the  bait  drop  lightly  into  the 
water,  at  the  extremity  of  the  rod  and  line ;  and  then> 
either  draw  your  line  gently  across  the  water,  or  carry 
your  bait  down  the  stream,  as  above  directed.  The 
eddy  by  the  side  of  a  mill-tail,  or  flood-gate,  or  water- 
fall, is  a  good  situation  to  try  the  lob-worm.  The 
deep  holes  near  overhanging  trees  and  old  stumps,  and 
those  parts  of  the  river  where  the  stream  has  under- 
mined the  banks,  are  also  the  haunts  of  the  largest 
trout. 

When  the  water  is  discoloured  by  rain,*  your  tackle 
may  be  strong,  and  you  will  not  be  easily  seen  by  the 
fish ;  but  if  the  water  be  clear,  and  the  day  bright,  your 
only  chance  for  taking  trout  with  the  worm  will  be  by 
using  fine  tackle,  and  keeping  completely  out  of  sight. 

The  lob-worm  is  also  used  without  any  shot  on  the 
line,  after  sunset  in  summer,  by  drawing  it  on  the  top 
of  the  water  across  a  sharp  mill-stream,  when  the  trout 
will  rise  and  take  the  bait  at  the  top  of  the  water  as 
they  would  a  fly,  and  in  this  manner  very  large  trout 
are  frequently  taken. 

The  caddis,  or  straw- worm,  is  an  excellent  bait  for 

*  When  this  is  the  case,  the  angler  had  far  better  remain  at 
home.— Ed, 


ANOLER^S  MANUAL.  85 

a  trout^  and  may  be  used  in  the  same  manner  as  the 
red  worm,  and  in  the  same  situations,  with  fine  tackle. 
The  following  are  Izaak  Walton's  instructions,  ^^how 
to  angle  with  a  caddis/' 

"  Take  one  or  more,  if  need  be,  of  these  large  yel- 
low caddis,  pull  off  his  head,  and,  with  it,  pull  out  his 
black  gut ;  put  the  body,  as  little  bruised  as  possible, 
on  a  very  little  hook,  armed  on  with  a  red  hair  bristle, 
which  will  shew  like  the  caddis'  head,  and  a  very  thin 
lead,  so  put  upon  the  shank  of  the  hook  that  it  may 
sink  presently;  throw  this  bait,  thus  ordered,  which 
will  look  very  yellow,  into  any  great,  still  hole,  where 
a  trout  is,  and  he  will  presently  venture  his  life  for  it^ 
'tis  not  to  be  doubted,  if  you  be  not  espied,  and  that 
the  bait  first  touch  the  water  before  the  line,  and  this 
will  do  best  in  the  deepest  and  stillest  water. 

''  Next,  let  me  tell  you,  I  have  been  much  pleased 
to  walk  quietly  by  a  brook,  with  a  little  stick  in  my 
hand,  with  which  I  might  easily  take  these  creatures, 
and  consider  the  curiosity  of  their  composure,  and,  if 
you  shall  ever  like  to  do  so,  then  note  that  your  stick 
must  be  a  little  hazel,  or  willow,  cleft,  or  have  a  nick 
at  one  end  of  it,  by  which  means  you  may,  with  ease, 
take  many  of  them  in  that  nick,  out  of  the  water, 
before  you  have  occasion  to  use  them.  These,  my 
honest  scholar,  are  some  observations,  told  to  you  as 
they  now  come  suddenly  into  my  memory,  of  which 
you  may  make  some  use;  but,  for  the  practical  partj, 


86  THE  BRITISH 

it  is  that  that  makes  an  angler.  It  is  diligence^  and 
observation,  and  practice,  and  an  ambition  to  be  tbe 
best  in  the  art,  that  must  do  it.  I  will  tell  you, 
scholar,  I  once  heard  one  say,  ^  I  envy  not  him  that 
eats  better  meat  than  I  do,  nor  him  that  is  richer,  or 
that  wears  better  clothes  than  I  do ;  I  envy  nobody  but 
him,  and  him  only,  that  catches  more  fish  than  I  do,^ 
and  such  a  man  is  likely  to  prove  an  angler;  and 
this  noble  emulation  I  wish  to  you  and  to  all  young 
anglers/' 

Cotton  s  instructions  for  the  use  of  the  caddis  are 
so  nearly  the  same  as  my  own,  for  the  small  red  worm, 
that  I  shall  only  add,  that  what  I  have  already  said 
of  fishing  in  a  clear  stream  with  a  worm  is  equally 
applicable  to  the  caddis. 

The  gentle,  or  maggot,  is  a  good  bait  for  a  trout 
in  the  months  of  June,  July,  and  August,  and  may 
be  used  with  a  small  float,  carrying  only  one  or  two 
shot  corns,  in  mill-dams,  ponds,  and  other  still  waters, 
allowing  your  bait  to  nearly  touch  the  ground. 

I  shall  now  describe  a  method  of  bottom-fishing 
with  a  float,  which  I  have  foimd,  in  certain  situations 
and  seasons,  more  successful  than  any  other.  The 
same  tackle  must  be  used,  as  before  described,  for  the 
gentle,  i,  e.  a  fine  gut  bottom^  with  hook  No.  10,  and 
a  small  quill  float,  carrying  one  or  two  small  shot 
corns. 

Procure  a  wide-necked  bottle,  and  fill  it  with  blue- 


angler's  manual.  87 

bottle  flies^  or  the  flies  caught  on  newly-scattered  cow 
or  horse-dung^  and  with  two  of  these  flies  bait  yout 
hook,  and  let  it  nearly  touch  the  ground.  In  this 
manner  I  have  caught  many  fine  trout  in  mill-dams^ 
ponds^  and  deep^  quiet  waters,  during  July  and  Au- 
gust, when  not  a  single  fish  would  rise  at  any  kind  of 
artificial  fly  which  could  be  offered.  I  have  never  seen 
this  method  described  by  any  author  on  the  subject, 
but  I  can  with  confidence  recommend  it  to  my  bro- 
thers of  the  angle,  at  those  times  when  the  usual  baits 
fail  to  procure  a  dish  of  fish. 

When  you  have  struck  a  good  fish,  if  the  river  be 
weedy,  keep  him  as  near  the  top  of  the  water  as  pos- 
sible, and  carry  him  down  the  stream  above  the  weeds, 
and  if  you  succeed  in  getting  him  into  clear  water, 
with  a  little  care  he  is  your  own. 

The  following  quaint  remarks  on  killing  a  large 
trout  are  quoted  from  Franks:  — 

''And  now,  Theophilus,  I  must  reprove  your  pre- 
cipitancy, because  a  great  error  in  young  anglers.  Be 
nundful,  therefore,  to  observe  directions  in  handling 
and  managing  your  rod  and  line,  and  cautiously  keeping 
yourself  out  of  sight;  all  which  precautions  are  re- 
quisite accomplishments,  which,  of  necessity,  ought  to 
be  understood  by  every  ingenious  angler :  and  so  is 
that  secret  of  striking,  which  should  never  be  used  with 
violence,  because,  by  a  moderate  touch  and  a  slender 
proportion  of  strength,  the  artist,  for  the  most  part. 


88  THE  BRITISH 

hath  best  success.  Another  caution  you  must  take 
along  with  you;  I  mean^  when  you  observe  your  game 
to  make  one  out,  that  is,  when  he  bolts,  or  when  he 
launcheth  himself  to  the  utmost  extent  of  your  rod 
and  line,  which  a  well-fed  fish,  at  all  times,  frequently 
attempts  upon  the  least  advantage  he  gains  of  the 
angler:  be  mindful,  therefore,  to  throw  him  line 
enough,  if  provided  you  purpose  to  see  his  destruc- 
tion; yet  with  this  caution,  that  you  be  not  too 
liberal.  On  the  other  hand,  too  straight  a  line  brings 
equal  hazard,  so  that  to  poise  your  fish  and  your  fore- 
sight together  is  by  keeping  one  eye  at  the  point  of 
your  rod,  and  the  other  be  sure  you  direct  on  your 
game,  which  comes  nearest  the  mediums  of  art,  and 
the  rules  and  rudiments  of  your  precedent  directions. 
But  this  great  round  may  be  easily  solved,  for  if  when 
you  discover  your  fish  fag  his  fins,  you  may  rationally 
conclude  he  then  struggles  with  death,  and  then  is 
your  time  to  triffle  him  on  shore  on  some  smooth  shelf 
.  of  sand,  where  you  may  boldly  land  him  before  his 
scales  encumber  the  soil. 

''Lest  precipitancy  spoil  sport,  I'll  preponder  my 
rudiments,  and  they  prognosticate,  here's  a  fish,  or 
something  like  it,  a  fair  hansel  for  a  foolish  fisher. 
This  capering,  for  aught  I  know,  may  cost  him  his 
life,  for  I  resolve  to  hold  his  nose  to  the  grindstone : 
dance  on  and  die ;  that  is  the  way  to  your  silent  se- 
pulchre, for  upon  that  silty,  gravelly,  shelf  of  sand  I 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  89 

resolve  to  land  him,  or  lose  all  I  have.  And  now  I 
fancy  him  weary  of  life,  as  aged  people  that  are  bur- 
thened  with  infirmities,  yet  I  want  courage  to  en- 
counter him,  lest,  fearing  to  lose  him,  which  if  I  do,  I 
impair  my  reputation.  However,  here  is  nobody  but 
trees  to  reprove  me,  except  these  rocks,  and  ihey  will 
teU  no  tales.  Well,  then,  as  he  wants  no  agility  to 
evade  me,  I'll  endeavour,  with  activity,  to  approach 
him,  so  that  the  difference  between  us  will  be  only  this, 
that  he  covets  acquaintance  with  but  one  element,  and 
I  would  compel  him  to  examine  another.  Now  he 
runs  to  divert  me  or  himself,  but  I  must  invite  him 
nearer  home,  for  I  fancy  none  such  distance. 

"  Though  his  fins  fag,  his  tail  wriggles,  his  strength 
declines,  his  gills  look  languid,  and  his  mettle  de- 
creaseth — all  which  interpret  tokens  of  submission — 
still,  the  best  news  I  bring  him,  is  summons  of  death. 
Yet  let  not  my  rashness  pre-engage  me  to  the  loss  of 
my  game,  for  to  neglect  my  rudiments  is  to  ruin  my 
design,  which,  in  plain  terms,  is  the  ruin  of  this  re- 
solute fish,  who,  seemingly,  now  measures  and  mingles 
his  proportion  with  more  than  one  element,  and, 
doomed  to  a  trance,  he  prostrates  himself  on  the  surface 
of  the  calms,  dead  to  my  apprehension,  save  only  I 
want  credit  to  believe  him  dead,  when  calling  to  mind 
my  former  precipitancy,  that  invited  me  to  a  loss ;  and 
so  may  this  adventure  prove,  if  I  look  not  well  about 


%  ■-. 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  91 

shall  now  give  Sir  Humphry  Davy's  directions  for  crimp- 
ing and  cooking  a  salmon,  which  will  apply  equally  well 
to  a  trout  above  three  pounds^  weight. 

'^  He  seems  fairly  tired,  I  shall  bring  him  in  to 
shore.  Now  gaJSf  him;  strike  as  near  the  tail  as  you 
can.  He  is  safe;  we  must  prepare  him  for  the  pot. 
Give  him  a  stunning  blow  on  the  head,  to  deprive  him 
of  sensation ;  and  then  give  him  a  tranverse  cut,  just 
below  the  gills,  and  crimp  him  by  cutting,  so  as  almost 
to  divide  him  into  slices,  and  hold  him  by  the  tail,  that 
he  may  bleed.*  There  is  a  small  spring,  I  see,  close 
under  that  bank,  which  I  dare  say  has  the  mean  tem- 
perature of  the  atmosphere  in  this  climate,  and  is  much 
under  fifty  degrees ;  place  him  there,  and  let  him  re- 
main  ten  minutes,  and  then  carry  him  to  the  pot,  and 
let  the  water  and  salt  boil  furiously,  before  you  put  in 
a  slice ;  and  give  time  for  the  water  to  recover  its  heat 
before  you  put  in  another;  and  so  with  the  whole 
fish :  leave  the  head  out,  and  throw  in  the  thickest 
pieces  first.'' 

Small  trout  in  Scotland  and  Cumberland  are  made 
very  palatable  by  dredging  oatmeal  over  them,  and 
frying  them  in  fresh  butter. 

Trout,  from  half  a  pound  to  a  pound  weight,  if 
split  open,  and  sprinkled  with  a  little  cayenne  pepper 

*  This  mode  of  crimping  may  be  improved  by  hanging  the  fish  in 
a  current  of  air  for  half  an  hour. — Ed. 


92  THE  BRITISH 

and  salt^  and  broiled^  are  excellent  for  breakfast^  after 
casting  the  line  for  a  couple  of  hours. 

I  am  not  sure  that  Dr.  Kitchener  would  have  ap- 
proved of  the  following  recipes,  as  they  are  rather  an- 
cient, having  been  published  in  1657,  by  Thomas  Barker, 
but  I  think  them  worth  transcribing : — 

"  We  must  have  one  dish  of  broyled  trouts  i  when 
the  entrails  are  taken  out,  you  must  cut  them  across  the 
side ;  being  washed  clean,  you  must  take  some  sweet 
herbs,  thyme,  sweet  marjoram,  and  parsley,  chopped 
small,  the  trouts  being  cut  somewhat  thick,  and  fill  the 
cuts  full  with  the  chopped  herbs ;  then  make  your  grid- 
iron fit  to  put  them  on,  being  well  cooled  with  rough- 
suet  ;  then  lay  the  trouts  on  a  charcoal  firci,  and  baste 
them  with  fresh  butter  until  you  think  they  are  well 
broyled.  The  sauce  must  be  butter  and  vinegar,  and 
the  yolk  of  an  egg  beaten ;  then  beat  altogether,  and 
put  it  on  the  fish  for  the  service. 

"  The  best  dish  of  stewed  fish  that  ever  I  heard 
commended  of  the  English  was  dressed  in  this  way ; 
first,  they  were  broyled  on  a  charcoal  fire,  being  cut  on 
the  sides  as  fried  trouts ;  then  the  stew-pan  was  taken, 
and  set  on  a  chafing-dish  of  coles ;  there  was  put  into  the 
stew-pan  half  a  pound  of  sweet  butter,  one  pennyworth 
of  beaten  cinnamon,  a  little  vinegar;  when  all  was 
melted,  the  fish  was  put  into  the  pan,  and  covered  with 
a  covering-plate,  so  kept  stewing  half  an  hour ;  being 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  93 

turned,  then  taken  out  of  the  stew-pan  and  dished ;  be 
sure  to  beat  your  sauce  before  you  put  it  on  your  fish ; 
then  squeeze  a  lemon  on  your  fish  ;  it  was  the  best  dish 
of  fish  that  ever  I  heard  commended  by  noblemen  and 
gentlemen.  This  is  our  English  fashion.  The  Italian, 
he  stews  upon  a  chafing-dish  of  coles,  with  white  wine, 
cloves,  and  mace,  nutmegs  sliced,  and  a  little  ginger ; 
you  must  understand,  when  this  fish  is  stewed,  the  same 
liquor  the  fish  is  stewed  in  must  be  beaten  with  some 
sweet  butter  and  the  juice  of  a  lemon  before  it  is  dished 
for  the  service. 

*^  The  French  doth  add  to  this  a  slice  or  two 
of  bacon.  Though  I  have  been  no  traveller,  I  may 
speak  of  it,  for  I  have  been  admitted  into  the  most 
ambassadors^  kitchens  that  have  come  into  England 
this  forty  years,  and  do  wait  on  them  still,  at  the  Lord 
Protector's  charge,  and  I  am  paid  duly  for  it  j  some- 
times I  see  slovenly  scullions  abuse  good  fish  most 
grossly. 

"  We  must  have  a  trout-pie  to  eat  hot,  and  another 
to  eat  cold :  the  first  thing  you  must  gain  must  be  a 
peck  of  the  best  wheaten  flower,  two  pounds  of  butter, 
two  quarts  of  milk,  new  from  the  cow,  half  a  dozen  of 
eggs,  to  make  the  paste.  Where  I  was  born  there  is 
not  a  girl  of  ten  years  of  age  but  can  make  a  pie.  For 
one  pie,  the  trouts  shall  be  opened,  and  the  guts  taken 
out,  and  cleaned,  and  washed;  seasoned  with  pepper 


94  THE  BRITISH 

and  saltj  then  laid  in  the  pie ;  half  a  pound  of  currants 
put  among  the  fish,  with  a  pound  of  sweet  butter  cut 
in  pieces  and  set  on  the  fish,  so  close  it  up  :  when  it  is 
baked  and  come  out  of  the  oven,  pour  into  the  pie  three 
or  four  spoonsful  of  claret  wine,  so  dish  it  up,  and 
send  it  to  the  table.  These  trouts  shall  cut  close  and 
moist. 

"  For  the  other  pie,  the  trouts  shall  be  boyled  a 
Uttle ;  it  will  make  the  fish  rise,  and  eat  more  crisp ; 
season  them  with  pepper  and  salt,  and  lay  them  in  the 
pie:  you  must  put  more  butter  in  this  pie  than  the 
other,  for  this  will  keep,  and  must  be  filled  up  with 
butter  when  it  cometh  forth  of  the  oven/' 

I  fear  Mr.  Ude  will  not  entirely  approve  these 
dishes  of  fish,  so  strongly  recommended  by  the  ambas- 
sador's cook  and  "  my  lord's  angler." 

I  shall  now  proceed  to  enumerate,  and,  in  some 
ipieaaurie,  describe,  the  different  rivers  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  London,  where  the  trout-fisher  may  exercise  his 
skill,  and  find  capital  sport,  where  the  waters  are  pre- 
served. For  a  description  ^of  the  rivers  generally, 
where  trout  abound,  see  the  chapters  on  the  Rivers  and 
Lakes  of  the  United  Kingdom. 

The  river  Thames  produces  very  large,  well-fed 
trout. 

V^y  few  are  taken  with  the  fly ;  for  the  common 
mode  of  hooking  these  large  fish,  of  firom  six  to  fif- 


^^'■i 


ANGLEB^S  MANUAL.  95 

teen  pounds,  is  by  spinning  the  minnow :  for  the  tackle 
used,  see  page  72.  Large  trout  are  frequently  taken 
in  May  and  June,  at  Thames  Ditton,  at  the  wier  by 
Teddington  Lock,  at  the  wier  at  Sunbury,  at  Wind- 
sor, and  various  parts  of  the  Thames  from  thence  to 
Streetly,  in  Berkshire;  beyond  which  place  I  am 
unacquainted  with  Thames  fishing.  [Trout,  being 
more  numerous,  are  now  frequently  taken  by  the  fly 
in  the  Thames.] 

There  are  a  few  fine  trout  in  the  river  Lea,  but  their 
number  is  too  small  to  repay  the  angler  for  his  labour. 
Since  Walton's  time,  great  changes  have,  undoubtedly, 
taken  place,  as  he  speaks  of  the  Lea  as  a  good  trout 
river.  [And  so  some  parts  of  it  are  now,  and  large 
fish  are  taken  from  it.] 

The  river  Colne  rises  in  Hertfordshire,  and  at  Rick- 
mansworth  is  a  considerable  stream,  where  the  fishing 
was,  formerly,  very  good ;  but  from  the  chemical  process 
used  at  some  of  the  numerous  mills  upon  it,  the  trout 
have  been  nearly  destroyed.  Below  Rickmansworth,  the 
Colne  runs  through  Moor  Park,  and  thence  to  Denham, 
where  there  is  excellent  fishing,  and  the  trout  are  large, 
and  of  an  excellent  quality.  Below  Denham  is  Uxbridge, 
famous  for  its  fine  trout,  but  the  water  is  rented,  and 
the  proprietors  are  very  careful  of  their  fish. 

The  accompanying  vignette  is  a  floodgate  on  the 
Colne,  near  Rickmansworth. 


THE  BHITIBB 


Further  down  the  stream  (which  has  Beyeral  branches) 
are  Cowley  and  Drsyton  Mills,  where  there  are  some 
good  large  trout,  but  they  are  far  from  numerous,  owing 
to  the  increase  of  pike  in  that  part  of  the  river.  Below 
Drayton  Mills,  few,  if  any,  trout  are  to  be  met  with, 
but  the  various  branches  of  the  Colne,  which  fall  into 
the  Thames  at  Staines,  abound  with  roach,  dace,  chub, 
perch,  and  pike. 

The  fishing  in  the  Colne,  at  Denham*  (one  of  the 

*  llie  Denham  fidiing  ia  most  perfect,  and  was  well  IcDown  to  Die 
■nthor  of  Salmonia,  wWre  he  fiBhed  with  Dr.  Wolkaton,  Chailea 
Hatchett,  Esq.,  and  others.  I  never  eaw  the  maj-flj  in  snch  pro- 
fliuon  as  1  have  there.  T  eospectthatMr.  Hofiand  nerer  fished  there, 
fhim  the  little  mendan  he  has  made  of  the  atream.  The  late  John 
Dmnimond,  Esq,,  had  a  moBt  beaatiM  fishing  cottage  at  Denham, 
where  he  exercised  great  hoBpitalitif  in  the  fishing  season. — Ed. 


angler's  manual.  97 

scenes  so  well  described  in  the  Salmonia),  does  not  com- 
mence till  the  first  of  May,  when  the  flies  I  should 
recommend  in  spring  are  Nos.  2,  3,  and  4,  No.  7  and 
No.  24 ;  that  is,  two  duns,  the  March  brown  and  the 
alder-fly.  Towards  the  end  of  the  month,  or  early  in 
June,  the  may-fly  will  make  its  appearance,  when  the 
alder-fly  and  the  green  and  grey  drake  will  be  the  only 
flies  wanted,  except  for  the  evening  fishing,  when  the 
orange  or  peacock  herl  palmer,  and  the  white  and 
brown  moths,  may  be  used  with  success. 

A  trout,  in  this  part  of  the  Colne,  is  not  considered 
a  killable  fish  under  two  pounds'  weight. 

The  Wandle,  in  the  county  of  Surrey,  rises  at  a 
short  distance  beyond  Carshalton,  and  falls  into  the 
Thames  at  Wandsworth:  it  is  a  beautifully  clear 
stream,  and  will  not  yield  its  fish  to  a  bungler  in  the 
art.  Carshalton,  twelve  miles  from  London,  is  situate 
on  the  best  part  of  the  stream,  and  has  two  good  inns 
for  the  accommodation  of  anglers.  The  right  of  fishing 
belongs  to  the  different  proprietors  of  the  various  mills 
for  the  manufactory  of  paper,  calico  printing,  &c.,  and 
from  these  proprietors  it  is  not  difficult  to  procure  a 
day's  fly-fishing ;  and  no  other  mode  is  allowed. 

Two  remarkable  features  in  the  character  of  the 
Wandle  are,  that  the  heaviest  rains  never  discolour  the 
water,  and  that  the  may^fly  never  appears  upon  it. 
The  season  commences  on  the  first  of  May,  when  the 

H 


98  THE  BRITISH 

fish  are  in  tolerable  condition^  but  are  not  in  perfection 
till  June. 

My  young  brothers  of  the  angle  must  not  expect 
any  sport  in  the  Wandle^  unless  they  fish  fine  in  the 
extreme : — a  single  hair  should  be  used  for  the  foot 
link^  or  at  least  gut  as  fine  as  a  hair^  and  small  blue 
and  yellow-bodied  duns.  Above  all  things^  the  water 
must  be  approached  with  caution^  for  it  is  as  clear  as  a 
north-country  beck^  and  if  you  are  seen  by  the  fish, 
they  immediately  fly  up  the  stream.  If  the  day  be 
bright,  with  little  wind,  I  generally  approach  the  bank 
of  this  river  in  a  stooping  position,  and,  when  at  a 
proper  distance,  kneel  upon  one  knee  to  cast  my  fly : 
if  you  have  a  cloudy  day  and  a  good  south-west  breeze, 
less  caution  is  necessary.  Hofland's  fancy.  No.  1, 
the  yellow  dun.  No.  7,  and  the  small  soldier  palmer, 
may  be  used  with  success ;  also  a  dun-fly,  sold  at  the 
tackle-shops  under  the  name  of  the  Carshalton  cocktail. 
No.  6. 

There  is  good  fishing  at  Beddington,  and  a  few 
trout  may  be  met  with  at  Mitcham  and  Merton,  lower 
doMHi  the  stream.  The  vignette  at  the  head  of  the  next 
page  is  one  of  the  paper-mills  at  Carshalton.''^ 

*  There  is  excellent  fishing  both  at  Beddington,  and  at  Mitcham 
and  Merton,  where  the  trout  are  carefully  preserved,  and  run  to  a  large 
size.  The  waters  are  very  clear,  and  therefore  noyices  have  seldom 
good  sport. — Ed. 


angler's  manual. 


THE  RIVER  CRAY 

Rises  near  St.  Mary's  Cray,  and  fdUe  into  the  Thames 
between  Woolwich  and  Dartford. 

The  principal  stations  for  fishing  are  not  more  than 
twelre  or  thirteen  miles  from  London. 

St.  Mary's  Gray  has  some  millsj  where  there  are 
fine  trout;  but  th^e  is  no  pubUc  water.  At  Foot's 
Cray,  the  landlord  of  the  Seven  Stars  rents  a  portion  of 
the  water,  and  gives  to  visitors  permiasion  to  angle. 
For  several  years  I  had  very  fine  sport  there ;  but  of 
late  the  Miing  has  been  injured  by  the  water  being 
drawn  ofiT  in  order  to  repair  the  mills,  and  in  couse- 


100  THE  BRITISH 

quence  the  fish  were  destroyed  :  but  as  the  Cray  is  an 
excellent  breeding  river.  Foot's  Cray  may  recover  its 
good  name. 

Lower  down  the  stream  is  Bexley,  where  there  is 
excellent  fishing  both  above  and  below  the  village. 
The  trout  are  numerous,  and  the  average  weight  from 
three-quarters  to  a  pound-and-a-half ;  but  I  have  caught 
fish  there  upwards  of  three  pounds*  weight,  and  when  in 
season  they  are  very  fine  in  colour  and  flavour. 

Below  Bexlcy  is  Hall  Place,  a  boarding-school  for 
young  gentlemen ;  *  and  I  have  always  found  the  kind 
proprietor  very  liberal  in  granting  permission  for  a  few 
days'  sport. 

At  Crayford  there  is  a  small  space  of  public  water 
in  which  any  one  may  fish  without  interruption,  and 
the  inn  is  very  comfortable.  I  have  occasionally  caught 
good  fish  there,  and  have  found  it  a  convenient  place 
for  head-quarters.  Lower  down  the  stream  are  calico- 
printing  mills ;  and  still  nearer  the  Thames,  and  where 
the  tide  flows,  there  are  saw-mills,  where  trout  may  be 
taken. 

The  flies  recommended  for  the  Wandle  will  answer 
for  the  Cray,  with  some  little  variation. 

The  Cray  is  not  so  clear  as  the  Wandle,  and  con- 
sequently not  so  difficult  to  fish,  and  a  greater  variety 
of  flies  are  found   on  the  water.     I   have  frequently 

*  Now  very  ably  conducted  by  I.  J.  Barton,  Esq. — Ed. 


angler's  manual.  101 

commenced  6shmg  in  the  middle  of  April,  when  I  have 
used  the  March  brown,  the  soldier  palmer,  the  blue 
don,  and  Hofland's  fancy.  In  May,  the  blue  and  yel- 
low dun,  Hofland's  fancy,  the  black  and  red  palmers, 
and,  when  the  may-fly  made  its  appearance,  I  used  the 
small  may-fly  for  a  stretcher,  and  Hofland's  fancy  for 
a  drop-fly. 

The  Derwent,  another  river  rising  in  Kent,  passes 
through  Otford  and  Dartford  and  falls  into  the  Thames. 
Dartford  is  fourteen  miles  from  London,  and  the  river 
is  well  stored  with  trout  from  thence  to  Parningham 
and  Otford,  near  Sevenoaks. 


102  THE  BRITISH 

At  Famingham^  seventeen  miles  from  London^ 
there  is  an  excellent  inn^  the  proprietor  of  which  has 
the  right  of  fishing  for  a  considerable  distance  down 
the  stream^  and  where  the  visitor  may  find  good  sport 
during  the  early  part  of  the  season,  t.  e.  in  April,  before 
the  water  has  been  too  much  fished.  About  a  mile 
above  Famingham  are  the  grounds  of  Sir  Thomas 
Dyke,  Bart.,  where  the  water  abounds  with  fine  trout. 

The  same  flies  will  answer  for  the  Derwent  as  for 
the  Cray. 

The  bridge  in  the  woodcut,  page  101,  is  close  to 
the  principal  inn. 

There  are  some  fine  trout  in  the  small  stream  that 
runs  through  the  grounds  of  Brocket  Hall,  Hertford- 
shire, the  seat  of  Lord  Melbourne;  it  passes  from 
thence  to  the  Marquis  of  Salisbury's  park  at  Hatfield, 
where  the  water  is  well  stored  with  trout,  pike,  and 
perch.  By  spinning  the  minnow  I  have  taken  these 
three  kinds  of  fish  alternately,  with  the  same  tackle, 
though  it  must  be  confessed  that  minnow-tackle  is  en- 
dangered by  the  pike. 

The  river  Mole  falls  into  the  Thames,  and  contains 
a  few  trout,  but  it  is  too  sluggish  to  be  a  good  trout 
stream.     [The  pike  fishing  in  it  is  excellent.] 

Some  waters  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Guildford 
afford  good  fishing,  I  have  been  toldj  but  I  cannot 
speak  of  them  from  experience. 


angler's  manual.  103 

I  shall  close  this  account  of  the  trout  streams  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  London^  by  recommending  a  small 
river  that  runs  through  High  Wycombe,  Bucks,  and 
falls  into  the  Thames  a  little  below  Marlow.  Between 
High  Wycombe  and  the  Thames  there  are  a  number  of 
paper-mills,  and  I  have  had  Utde  difficulty  in  gaining 
permission  to  fish  from  the  different  proprietors.  In 
some  parts  of  this  stream  trout  are  very  numerous, 
and,  of  course,  not  large,  the  average  being  about  three 
quarters  of  a  pound  weight ;  but  I  have  taken  fish  there 
upwards  of  three  pounds.  At  Mr.  Street's  mill,  a  little 
below  Wycombe,  where  the  water  is  well  preserved,  I 
once  killed  twenty  brace  of  fine  trout  in  four  hours. 

The  landlord  of  the  principal  inn  is  acquainted  with 
several  proprietors  of  the  water,  and,  through  him,  an 
angler  taking  up  his  quarters  at  his  house  may  gain 
permission  to  fish.  Two  of  the  mills  in  the  town  of 
Wycombe  belonged  to  two  brothers,  both  of  whom  had 
kindly  given  me  leave  to  fish  in  their  waters,  where, 
for  two  successive  seasons,  I  had  excellent  sport.  I 
visited  the  same  spot  a  third  season ;  reached  the  water- 
side by  six  o'clock  on  a  fine  May  morning,  and,  after 
trying  every  fly,  kill-devil,  &c.,  I  returned  to  breakfast 
without  even  seeing  a  fish.  About  ten  o'clock,  with 
most  favourable  weather,  I  again  sought  the  water,  when, 
after  a  few  unsuccessful  casts  of  my  fly,  the  Quaker  pro- 
prietor put  his  head  out  of  a  mill- window,  and  inquired, 
"What  sport?"  I,  being  somewhat  vexed  at  my  dis- 


104  THE  BRITISH 

appointment^  answered  testily,  "  Sport !  I  have  not  even 
seen  a  fish/^  He  replied,  "  I  have  seen  thee  flogging 
the  water  some  hours  with  great  perseverance,  and, 
apparently,  with  skill  also ;  but  I  cannot  wonder  thou 
hast  not  caught  any  thing,  for,  I  hope,  there  is  not  one 
fish  in  this  part  of  the  water.  The  fact  is,  that  when 
the  poachers  stole  our  fish  they  stole  other  things  also, 
therefore  my  brother  and  myself  have  destroyed  our  fish 
to  save  other  property/' 

''But,  pray  sir,  why  did  you  not  tell  me  this  till 
now  V' 

''  Because  I  thought  thou  hadst  good  practice,  and 
I  was  amused  by  thy  perseverance;  and,  see,  to 
reward  thy  diligence,  I  have  written  a  note  to  my 
friend  Street,  who  will,  I  doubt  not,  give  thee  good 
fishing/' 

I  made  use  of  the  note,  and  caught  twenty  brace  of 
trout  in  four  hours,  as  already  mentioned. 

For  a  description  of  the  other  rivers,  &c.  where 
trout  abound,  see  the  chapter  on  the  Rivers,  Lakes,  &c. 
of  the  United  Kingdom. 


ANGLER  S  MANUAL, 


THE  NOKTHEBN  CHABR. 

The  cliarr  is  the  most  beautiful  of  the  species  ot 
the  genua  salmo,  and  is  found  in  several  of  the  lakes  in 
the  United  Kingdom. 

The  potted  charr  sold  in  London  are  chiefly  sent 
from  Cumberland  and  Westmoreland,  where  they  are 
caught,  from  November  to  Christmas,  in  the  lakes  of 
Windermere,*  Crommack  Water,  Buttermere,  and  Uls- 
water.  This  fish  is  also  taken  in  many  of  the  lakes  in 
Ireland,  such  as  Lough,  Esk,  Ne^h,  Dan,  Lug^elow, 
county  Wicklow,  &c. 

•  Mr.  Ullock,  of  the  Royal  Hotel,  Bowaess.  close  to  Winder- 
mere Lake,  supplies  the  best  patted  chair  and  the  most  delictoas 
hanu  in  Wefitmoreland  \  his  hotel  is  much  frequented,  and  is  periect 


■a  way,  a 


aEOnable Ed. 


106  THE  BRITISH 

Mr.  Yarrell  considers  the  Welsh  charr  as  distinct 
from  the  northern  charr,  and  says  : — 

'^  The  northern  charr  is  an  elegantly  shaped^  slender- 
bodied  fish,  with  fins  of  small  comparative  size.  The 
Welsh  charr  is  a  short  fish,  considerably  deeper  for  its 
length,  with  very  large  fins ;  it  has  also,  in  its  form,  much 
of  the  character  of  an  adult  par  of  the  Tweed,  and 
carries  for  a  long  time  the  same  sort  of  dusky,  lateral 
markings,  but  is  immediately  distinguished  from  that 
species  by  having  only  a  few  teeth  on  the  most  interior 
part  of  the  vomer;  but  the  teeth,  the  gape,  and  the  eye, 
are  much  larger  in  the  Welsh  charr  than  in  that  of  the 
north.  The  Welsh  charr  is  the  targoch,  or  red-belly,  of 
Wales,  and  was  formerly  to  be  taken  in  Llanberris  lakes, 
or  in  Llyn  Cawellyn,  two  deep  lakes,  situated  on  the 
east  and  west  sides  of  Snowdon.  The  waters  from  a 
neighbouring  copper-mine  are  said  to  have  destroyed,  or 
driven  out,  the  charr  from  Llanberris,  where  they  were 
formerly  very  numerous;  and  it  must  be  observed, 
that  some  of  these  fish  were  caught  in  the  sea,  at  the 
mouths  of  the  rivers  of  this  coast,  after  they  disappeared 
from  the  lake.'* 

The  northern  and  the  Welsh  charr  are  taken  at  the 
same  season,  that  is,  in  the  month  of  December,  when 
they  leave  the  deeps  and  approach  the  shores,  where 
they  are  taken  with  nets.  These  places,  in  Cumberland, 
are  called  charr  sets. 

The  ombre  chevalier^  of  the  lake  of  Geneva,  is  said 


angler's  manual.  107 

to  be  identical  with  the  charr  of  the  northern  lakes  of 
England. 

The  charr  are  only  found  in  very  deep  lakes^  and  are 
seldom  seen  near  the  surface  of  the  water^  and^  con- 
sequently, offer  no  sport  to  the  fly-fisher;  but  they  may 
be  taken  by  spinning  the  minnow,  with  a  very  long  line, 
loaded  with  a  heavy  bullet.  The  line  should  be  trailed 
at  the  stem  of  the  boat,  while  it  is  rowed  slowly  over  the 
deepest  part  of  the  lake.  The  same  mode  of  fishing 
is  used  in  Loch  Awe,  and  other  lakes  in  Scotland,  for 
taking  the  large  bull-trout,  with  only  this  difference, 
that  a  small  trout,  or  par,  is  employed  instead  of  the 
minnow. 

The  common  length  of  the  northern  charr  is  from 
nine  to  twelve  inches.  The  top  of  the  head  and  the 
upper  part  of  the  back  are  of  an  oUve  brown,  studded 
with  yellowish  white  spots ;  the  belly  is  of  a  beautiful 
pinky  orange  colour,  and  the  scales  are  very  small. 


THE  BRITISH 


THE  GRAYLING. 

The  grayling  ia  supposed  by  some  writers  to  have 
been  introduced  to  this  country  by  the  monks,  when 
England  was  under  the  see  of  Rome ;  and  it  has  often 
been  described  as  a  favourite  fish  of  St,  Ambrose.  This 
opinioa  has  been  strengthened  by  the  grayhng  being 
very  local,  and  from  its  being  found  at  present  in  most 
of  the  rivers  which  run  near  the  ruins  of  our  ancient 
monastic  institutions. 

The  grayling  has,  within  a  few  years,  been  intro- 
duced to  the  Test,  in  Hampshire,  where  it  thrives  and 
increases  abundantly,  some  of  this  fish  caught  there 
weighing  from  three  to  four  pounds.  It  is  very  migra- 
tory, and  frequently  leaves  one  part  of  the  river  for 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  109 

another.  Sir  Humphry  Davy,  who  has  given  us  more 
information  on  its  nature  and  habits  than  any  other 
writer,  says  that  "  The  grayling  requires  a  number  of 
circumstances  in  a  river  to  enable  it  to  multiply;  a 
temperature  in  the  water  which  must  be  moderate, 
neither  too  high  nor  too  low.  Grayling  ai'e  never  found 
in  streams  that  are  from  glaciers,  at  least  near  their 
source;  and  they  are  killed  by  cold  or  heat. 

"I  once  put  some  grayling,  from  the  Teme  in 
Shropshire,  with  some  trout,  into  a  confined  water,  rising 
from  a  spring  in  the  yard  at  Downton ;  the  grayling  aU 
died,  but  the  trout  lived :  said  in  the  hot  summer  of 
1825  great  numbers  of  large  grayling  died  in  the  Avon, 
below  Ringwood,  without  doubt  killed  by  the  heat  in 
July.  Besides  temperature,  grayling  require  a  peculiar 
character  in  the  disposition  of  the  water  of  the  rivers. 
They  do  not  dwell  like  trout  in  rapid,  shallow  streams  ; 
nor  like  charr  or  chub  in  deep  pools  or  lakes.  They 
require  a  combination  of  stream  and  pool ;  they  like  a 
deep,  still  pool,  for  rest,  and  a  rapid  stream  above, 
and  a  gradually  declining  shallow  below,  and  a  bottom 
where  marl  or  loam  is  mixed  with  gravel ;  and  they  are 
not  found  abundant,  except  in  rivers  that  have  these 
characters.  The  trout,  in  all  their  habits  of  migration, 
run  upwards,  seeking  the  fresh  and  cool  waters  of 
mountain  sources  to  spawn  in.  The  grayling,  I  believe, 
has  never  the  same  habit  of  running  up  stream;  I 
never  saw  one  leaping  at  a  fall,  where  trout  are  so  often 


110  THE  BRITISH 

seen.  Their  large  back  fin  seems  intended  to  enable 
them  to  rise  and  sink  rapidly  in  deep  pools^  and  the 
slender  nature  of  the  body  towards  the  tail  renders 
them  much  more  unfit  for  leaping  cataracts  than  trout 
or  salmon.  The  temperature  of  the  water  and  its  cha- 
racter as  to  still  and  stream^  seem  of  more  importance 
than  clearness;  for  I  have  seen  grayling  taken  in 
streams  that  are  almost  constantly  turbid^  as  in  the  Inn 
and  the  Salza^  in  the  Tyrol.  This  fish  appears  to  re- 
quire food  of  a  particular  kind^  feeding  much  upon  flies 
and  their  larvae^  and  not  usually  preying  upon  small 
fish^  as  the  trout.  It  has  a  very  strong  stomachy  almost 
approaching  to  that  of  the  giUaroo  trout;  and  is  ex- 
ceedingly fond  of  those  larvae  which  inhabit  cases^  and 
which  are  usually  covered  with  sand  or  gravely  and 
require  a  strong  membraneous  stomach  to  enable  the 
extraneous  matter  to  be  separated.  In  accordance  with 
their  general  habits  of  feeding,  grashoppers  are  amongst 
their  usual  food :  in  the  end  of  summer  and  autumn^ 
and  at  all  seasons^  maggots  upon  fine  tackle  and  a  small 
hook  ofier  a  secure  mode  of  taking  them,  the  pool 
having  been  previously  baited  for  the  purpose  of 
anghng,  by  thH>wing  in  a  handful  or  two  a  fewminutes 
before. 

"  The  grayling  spawns  in  April,  and  is  not  in  perfect 
season  till  the  latter  end  of  November  or  the  beginning 
of  December,  when  his  back  is  very  dark,  almost  black, 
and  his  belly  and  lower  fins  almost  gold-coloured ;  but 


angler's  manual.  Ill 

his  brightness^  hke  that  of  most  other  fishes^  depends  a 
good  deal  on  the  nature  of  the  water. 

*'  The  female  deposits  her  ova  in  the  tails  of  sharp 
streams.  I  do  not  know  how  long  a  time  is  required 
for  the  exclusion  of  the  young  ones^  but  in  the  end  of 
July  or  beginning  of  August  they  are  of  the  size  of 
sprats^  four  or  five  inches  long^  and  already  sport 
merrily  at  a  fly.  The  grayling  hatched  in  June  become 
in  the  same  year^  in  September  or  October^  nine  or  ten 
inches  long^  and  weigh  from  half  a  pound  to  ten  ounces : 
and  the  year  after^  they  are  from  twelve  to  fifteen  inches 
long,  and  weigh  from  three  quarters  to  a  pound;  and 
these  two  sizes  are  the  fish  that  most  usually  rise  to  the 
fly." 

I  have  never  heard  that  any  of  the  rivers  or  lakes 
in  Ireland  or  Scotland  contain  grayling,  and  have 
before  observed,  that  in  England  they  are  local,  as  there 
are  many  rivers  where  trout  abound  without  any  gray- 
ling. The  principal  rivers  in  England  and  Wales  for 
this  fish  are  the  Avon  and  the  Test,  in  Hampshire;  the 
Dove,  the  Wye,  the  Trent,  and  the  Derwent,  in  Derby- 
shire ;  the  nibble,  the  Ure,  the  Rye,  and  the  Wharfe, 
in  Yorkshire;  and  in  Herefordshire  there  are  several 
grayling  streams ;  but  the  best  rivers  in  England  are 
the  Clun  and  the  Teme*  in  Shropshire.     In  Wales  the 

*  The  Teme  is  decidedly  the  best  river  in  England  for  grayling, 
and  the  river  runs  through  some  of  the  most  beautiful  scenery  in  it. — 
Ed. 


112  THE  BRITISH 

Dee  and  Wye  contain  grayling.  They  are  abundant 
in  parts  of  the  Wye. 

I  have  already  said  that  the  grayling  are  not  in 
prime  season  till  November  or  December;  but  they 
may  be  taken  at  any  time  of  the  year  when  the  fly  is  on 
the  water :  and  the  same  flies  recommended  for  the 
trout  may  be  used  for  the  graylings  with  this  difference, 
that  for  the  latter  fish  they  must  be  smaller ;  and  all 
that  I  have  previously  said  of  Gshingfine  for  the  trout, 
will  most  especially  apply  to  the  grayling ;  for,  if  you 
do  not  use  a  single  hair,  your  gut  bottom  must  be  as 
fine  as  a  hair,  and  of  the  colour  of  the  water  you  fish. 

I  should  recommend  the  use  of  three  flies,  t.  e.  the 
various  coloured  small  duns,  such  as  the  yellow-bodied, 
the  pale  blue,  &c. ;  and  these  will  generally  succeed. 
October  is  the  best  month  for  the  fly  ;*  but,  as  already 
said,  the  grayling  will  rise  at  any  season ;  and  October, 
November,  and  December  are  the  months  for  bottom 
fishing  with  the  maggot,  by  which  latter  mode  the  best 
and  largest  fish  are  taken. f 

If  a  float  be  used  it  should  be  very  light,  not  carry- 
ing more  than  two  or  three  shot,  and  your  depth  should 

*  I  would  strongly  recommend  all  grayling  fishers  to  sink  their  flies 
about  four  inches. — Ed. 

t  During  the  months  of  August  and  September  the  best  flies  to 
be  used  in  the  Teme  are  the  red-ant,  fern,  and  orange  tag-tail.  Later 
in  the  season  succeed  the  willow,  both  dark  and  light,  the  pale  blue, 
and  a  large  brown  fly,  called  near  Ludlow  tlie  seg-fly,  and  a  killing 
fly  it  is.     Jones,  a  fisherman  at  Ludlow,  makes  them. — Ed. 


angler's  manual.  113 

be  from  six  to  twelve  inches  from  the  bottom ;  but  a 
skilfrd  angler  generally  prefers  fishing  with  very  fine 
bottom  tackle  with  a  single  shot-corn^  and  without  a 
float. 

Most  of  the  Derbyshire  anglers  on  the  Wye  and 
the  Derwent  (two  grayling  streams)  prefer  hackles  to 
winged  flies. 

The  background  to  the  wood-cut  of  the  grayling  is 
Haddon  Hall,  on  the  Wye,  near  Bakewell,  Derby- 
shire. 


THE  BKITISH 


THE  FIKE,  PICKEKBLL,  JACK,  LUCE,  OR  GEDD. 

The  jack  and  pike  are  nearly  Byaonymous  terms, 
for  a  jack  becomes  a  pike  when  it  weighs  three  ponnda, 
as  a  grilse  becomes  a  salmon  when  it  weighs  seven 
pounds. 

The  pike  has  been  called  "the  fresh-water  shark," 
and  not  without  reason,  for  it  is  a  moat  voracious  and 
destructive  fish ;  and  although  it  affords  good  diversion 
to  the  angler,  I  should  be  content  if  not  one  were  left 
alive  in  the  trout-streams  of  Great  Britain  :  for  if  once 
the  pike  find  their  way  into  a  lake  or  trout-stream. 


angler's  manual.  115 

they  make  sad  havoc  with  the  troiit^  and  in  some 
cases  destroy  them  altogether. 

The  river  Stour,  near  Canterbury,  was  formerly  an 
excellent  trout-stream,  but  within  the  last  thirty  years 
the  pike  have  taken  almost  exclusive  possession  of  it. 
The  same  may  be  said  of  the  Colne  about  Drayton  and 
Cowley,  and  within  my  recollection  pike  have  greatly 
increased  in  Loch  Caterine,  Loch  Lomond,  and  other 
Scotch  lakes,  and  trout  have  consequently  greatly 
diminished. 

One  cause  of  the  increase  of  this  tyrant  of  the 
waters  is  from  the  number  bred  in  the  canals,  which 
now  intersect  the  country  in  every  direction. 

The  pike  with  our  ancestors  was  scarce,  and  con- 
sidered a  great  delicacy  for  the  table;  in  Henry  the 
Eighth's  time  a  large  pike  sold  for  more  than  a  house- 
lamb  in  February. 

The  pike  is  a  strong,  bold,  and  greedy  fish,  and  will 
battle  stoutly  with  the  angler;  but  should  he  succeed 
in  breaking  his  hold,  he  will  generally  retake  the  bait 
the  instant  it  is  again  offered  to  him.  I  have  myself 
caught  one  after  he  had  twice  broken  his  hold. 

They  spawn  in  April  in  the  backwaters,  creeks,  or 
other  weedy  shallow  outlets  from  the  waters  they 
usually  inhabit.  The  pike  is  very  rapid  in  his  growth, 
and,  if  well  suppUed  with  food  in  a  suitable  water,  will 
increase  in  weight  from  three  to  four  pounds  annually. 
Their   extreme   voracity   has  been   attested   by   many 


116  THE  BRITISH 

writers ;  it  is  well  known  they  will  seize  upon  young 
ducks  and  goslings :  and  Gesner  relates  that  a  pike  in 
the  Rhone  seized  on  the  lips  of  a  mule  that  a  man 
brought  to  the  water^  and  hung  so  fast  that  the 
mule  drew  him  out  of  the  river,  and  thus  became  an 
angler. 

In  the  large  water  before  the  house  at  Osterley  Park 
(the  seat  of  the  Earl  of  Jersey),  a  pike,  which  proved 
to  be  upwards  of  forty  pounds  weight,  seized  a  swan, 
and  in  his  endeavour  to  gorge  the  head  and  neck 
of  the  noble  bird,  their  mutual  struggles  effected 
the  death  of  both.  Plot  mentions  a  similar  circum- 
stance that  happened  on  a  canal  belonging  to  the 
Marquis  of  Stafford,  at  Trentham,  in  Staffordshire. 
[There  is  an  old  painting  representing  the  circum- 
stance in  the  Hall  of  that  place.] 

The  pike  is  a  long-lived  fish.  Pennant  refers  to 
one  that  was  ninety  years  old ;  and  Gesner  informs  us 
that  in  the  year  1497  a  pike  was  taken  at  Halibran,  in 
Suabia,  with  a  brazen  ring  attached  to  it,  on  which 
were  these  words  in  Greek  characters: — "I  am  the 
fish  which  was  first  of  all  put  into  this  lake  by  the 
hands  of  the  Governor  of  tha  Universe,  Frederick  II., 
the  5th  of  October,  1230.''  This  fish  was,  therefore, 
two  hundred  and  sixty-seven  years  old,  and  was  said  to 
have  weighed  three  hundred  and  fifty  pounds. 

Colonel  Thornton,  of  sporting  notoriety,  took  a  pike 
in  the  Highlands  of  Scotland   (I  believe,  in  Loch  Lo- 


ANOLER^S  MANUAL.  117 

mond)^  upwards  of  forty-nine  pounds  weight ;  *  and  in 
describing  this  mighty  fish^  he  says  it  was  taken  by 
trolling  with  the  gorge-hook.  The  gallant  Colonel  has 
been  celebrated  for  the  use  of  the  long  bow,  and  I  have 
heard  it  stoutly  asserted  in  Scotland  that  it  was  taken 
by  a  trimmer. 

It  is  said  that  some  of  the  Irish  lakes  abound  with 
large  pike,  and  that  they  have  been  taken  of  seventy 
pounds  weight.  He  is  a  solitary  fish,  and  frequents 
quiet,  still  places  in  a  river,  beside  beds  of  weeds,  deep 
pools,  wiers,  and  floodgates ;  but  his  favourite  haunt  is 
near  long  ranges  of  sedges  and  bulrushes.  Many  of 
the  lakes  of  England,  Scotland,  and  Ireland,  abound 
with  jack,  and  I  have  myself  had  excellent  sport  in 
trolling  at  the  head  of  Loch  Lomond  and  Loch  Caterine; 
and  most  of  the  large  and  many  of  the  small  rivers  in 
England  contain  pike.  I  shall  name  a  few  in  which  I 
have  tried  my  hand  : — 

The  river  Trent,  four  or  five  miles  above  and  below 
Nottingham,  will  afford  capital  sport  to  the  troUer, 
and  the  fish  are  of  excellent  quality;  it  is  useless 
to  fish  nearer  the  town,  as  the  stockingers  are  all 
anglers. 

The  Ouse,  a  few  miles  from  York,  has  fine  large 
jack  and  pike ;  and  the  Cam,  near  Cambridge,  is  well 
supplied  with  this  fish,  by  an  annual  migration  from 

*  One  weighing  forty-eight  pounds  was  taken  in  the  waters  of 
Pain's  Hill,  Surrey. — Ed. 


118  THE  BRITISH 

the  fens  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Ely,  where  they  are 
bred. 

The  Thames^  from  Chertsey  to  Oxford,  particularly 
about  Maidenhead,  Marlow,  Beading,  Pangboum,  and 
Streetly,  will  afford  the  angler  sport.  [They  are  also 
caught  of  a  large  size  in  the  Thames,  near  Windsor, 
and  also  along  the  river  to  Hampton  Court.] 

The  river  Lea  will  reward  the  troller's  skill,  as  the 
fishing  is  preserved  for  many  miles  by  different  pro- 
prietors, and  a  right  to  angle  is  given  by  payment  of 
an  annual  subscription  of  ten  shillings,  or  a  day-ticket 
may  be  had  for  eighteen-pence. 

Dagenham  Breach,  in  Essex,  is  an  extensive  water, 
has  many  large  pike,  and  is  preserved  for  the  use  of 
subscribers ;  the  Colne,  and  its  numerous  branches  at 
Longford,  Hounslow  powder-mills,  &c.,  also  famish 
jack  and  pike ;  as  do  most  of  the  canals  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  London. 

The  water  at  Brocket  Hall,  the  seat  of  Viscount 
Melbourne,  is  well-stored  with  these  fish,  and  the  noble 
proprietor  is  Uberal  in  granting  permission  for  a  da/s 
trolling.  I  have  myself  fished  the  water  with  good 
success  in  the  late  lord's  time. 

The  waters  in  Hatfield  Park,  belonging  to  the  Mar- 
quis of  SaUsbury,  produce  fine  jack,  pike,  perdi,  and 
trout :  the  broad  water  is  suppUed  by  a  trout-stream, 
which  would  be  very  productive  of  this  beautiful  fish 
if  it  were  not  for  the  pike,  which  leave  the  broad  water 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  119 

and  pursue  the  trout  into  the  streams.  Very  fine  perch 
may  be  taken  here  also^  and  when  I  have  been  fishing 
there^  by  spinning  the  minnow  with  strong  gut  and  six 
or  seven  small  hooks^  in  the  manner  of  spinning  the 
bleak^  I  have  alternately  taken  jack^  perch^  and  trout ; 
but  of  course  this  kind  of  tackle  will  be  always  in 
danger  from  a  large  pike. 

The  fine  waters  at  Blenheim  contain  many  large 
pike^  and  permission  to  troll  may  be  obtained  from 
the  noble  owner.  Some  years  since  a  sister  of  the 
Duke  of  Marlborough  caught  a  pike  in  the  Blenheim 
water  weighing  twenty-six  pounds. 

Mr.  Jesse^  in  his  '^  Angler's  Rambles/'  describes  a 
day^s  fishing  at  Cleveland  Hall^  Staffordshire^  where 
he  took  a  pike  weighing  twenty-eight  pounds ;  and  this 
large  fish  was  taken  with  small  Limerick  hooks^  and 
with  tackle  described  at  page  72,  using  gimp  for  the 
trace  instead  of  gut.  Mr.  Jesse  says,  ^'  I  may  here 
observe,  that  I  have  generally  found  that  the  pike 
caught  in  Staffordshire  ponds,  in  which  I  have  fished, 
to  be  not  only  well-flavoured  fish,  but  to  have  their 
colours  more  marked  and  beautiful  than  I  have  met  with 
elsewhere.  I  am  not  aware  to  what  cause  this  is  owing, 
but  the  fact  is  so ;  and  the  growth  of  the  fish  is  ex- 
ceedingly rapid.  I  saw  two  pike  of  thirty-six  pounds 
each,  one  of  thirty-five,  and  several  which  weighed 
from  twenty  to  thirty  pounds,  taken  out  of  a  pond  in 
Staffordshire,  in  the  autumn,  which  had  grown  to  that 


120  THE  BRITISH 

size  from  stores  which  had  been  put  into  it  seven  years 
previously/^  [Plot  frequently  mentions  the  great  size 
of  pike  in  Staffordshire.] 

Mr.  Yarrell  gives  the  following  account  of  pike- 
fishing  in  Norfolk:  — 

^^  Among  the  various  localities  in  England  remark- 
able for  the  quaUty  as  well  as  the  quantity  of  their  pike^ 
Horsea  Mere  and  Heigham  Sounds^  two  large  pieces  of 
water  in  the  county  of  Norfolk,  a  few  miles  north  of 
Yarmouth,  have  been  long  celebrated.  Camden,  in  his 
^  Britannia,^  first  printed  in  1586,  says,  ^  Horsea  pike, 
none  like.'  I  have  been  favoured  by  a  gentleman,  of 
acknowledged  celebrity  in  field  sports,  with  the  returns 
of  four  days'  pike-fishing  with  trimmers,  or  liggers, 
as  they  are  provincially  called. 

"In  March,  1834,  in  the  waters  just  named,  viz. 
on  the  11th  at  Heigham  Sounds,  sixty  pike,  the 
weight  altogether  two  hundred  and  eighty  pounds.  On 
the  13th,  at  Horsea  Mere,  eighty-nine  pike,  three 
hundred  and  seventy-nine  pounds.  On  the  18th,  again, 
at  Horsea  Mere,  forty-nine  pike,  two  hundred  and 
thirteen  pounds.  On  the  19th,  at  Heigham  Sounds, 
fifty-eight  pike,  two  hundred  and  sixty-three  pounds : 
together,  four  days*  sport,  producing  two  hundred  and 
fifty-six  pike,  weighing  altogether  eleven  hundred  and 
thirty-five  pounds.  These  meres,  or  broads,  as  they 
are  called  in  Norfolk,  are  of  great  extent.  Horsea 
Mere   and   Heigham    Sounds,   with   the   waters   con- 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  121 

nected,  are  calculated  to  include  a  surface  of  six  hun- 
dred acres/' 

The  river  Mole,  near  Moulsey  and  Esher,  has  many 
jack  and  pike ;  but  this  water  is  much  subject  to  be  dis- 
coloured by  rain,  and  as  it  is  very  sluggish,  it  is  long  in 
clearing ;  and  I  must  here  inform  the  novice  in  trolling, 
that  Uttle  sport  can  be  expected  without  a  tolerably 
clear  water.* 

Nobbs,  the  father  of  the  art  of  trolling,  speaks  of 
April  and  May  as  the  best  months;  but,  with  due 
deference  to  so  great  an  authority,  I  should  say  October, 
November,  and  December,  are  the  best  months,  as  the 
fish  are  then  in  prime  season,  and  are  worth  taking, 
whereas  in  April  and  May  they  have  not  recovered  from 
spawning,  and,  although  they  may  feed  freely,  they 
will  be  lank  and  thin,  and  in  bad  condition.  [Indeed 
no  good  angler  will  fish  for  them  in  those  months.] 

Early  in  March  the  pike  are  often  taken  frill  of 
spawn,  but  at  this  season  they  will  seldom  gorge  the 
bait,  and  are  generally  taken  by  the  snap.  In  the 
autumn,  rivers  and  ponds  begin  to  lose  their  weeds, 
which  in  spring  and  summer  are  so  troublesome  to  the 
troUer,  and  the  fish  then  take  to  the  deep  holes,  and 
their  haunts  are  more  easily  found.  The  troller  cannot 
be  too  early  or  too  late  at  his  sport,  for  during  the 


*  I  once  caught  sixteen  pike  in  the  Mole  in  one  day,  by  spinning 
bleak. — Ed. 


122  THE  BRITISH 

middle  of  the  day  the  fish  seldom  feed^  unless  it  be 
cloudy  and  the  breeze  fresh. 

The  best  baits  for  jaek  and  pike  are  roach^  dace^ 
bleak^  gudgeon^  minnow^  small  chub^  and  trout^  or  the 
skegger  or  brandling ;  when  none  of  these  can  be  pro- 
cured, a  small  perch,  by  cutting  away  the  back  fin,  may 
be  used.  Indeed,  in  the  lakes  of  Derwentwater  and 
Bassenthwaite,  and  various  places  where  other  fish  are 
scarce,  and  the  small  bass,  or  perch,  plentiful,  it  is  the 
bait  in  general  use.  It  is  of  the  utmost  consequence 
that  the  baits  should  be  perfectly  fresh  and  sweet; 
although  a  pike  might  run  at  a  stale  bait,  he  will  rarely 
pouch  it,  even  at  the  snap :  your  baits  cannot  be  too 
bright  or  fresh.  [I  have  caught  many  pike  in  Winder- 
mere Lake  with  artificial  baits.] 

Many  writers  have  recommended  birds,  mice,  frogs, 
&c.  as  baits,  but  where  small  fish  can  be  procured,  no 
other  will  be  wanted  :  of  all  the  baits  mentioned,  I 
prefer  a  moderate-sized  gudgeon,  more  especially  for 
the  gorge-hook,  as  the  sweetness  of  the  fish  makes  the 
pike  more  eager  to  pouch  it. 

On  a  dark  day,  and  when  the  water  is  not  very 
clear,  I  should  prefer  a  clean,  bright,  small  roach,  dace, 
or  bleak,  particularly  when  fishing  at  the  snap.  When 
your  fish  are  not  kept  alive  in  a  bait-can,  they  should 
be  carried  in  a  tin  box,  and  laid  in  a  little  fine  bran,  or 
pollard,  and  carefully  washed  before  you  bait  with 
them. 


angler's  manual.  123 


TROLLING    TACKLE. 

The  rod  should  be  of  strong  bamboo  cane^  and  from 
ten  to  twelve  feet  long,  with  a  tolerably  stiff  top,  of 
whalebone  or  hickory;  the  rings  should  be  five  in 
number,  and  not  less  than  three -eighths  of  an  inch 
diameter  in  the  opening,  that  the  line  may  run  freely. 

A  strong  winch  will  be  required,  which  must  hold, 
at  least,  forty  yards  of  line,  that  is  not  subject  to  kink. 
Mr.  Jesse  recommends  a  trolling-line  sold  by  Mr. 
Barth,  of  Cockspur  Street,  and  I  have  seen  a  very  good 
sort  of  line  for  this  purpose,  manufactured  by  Mr. 
Bazin,  Duncan  Place,  Hackney.  Some  troUers  prefer 
a  rod  twenty  feet  long,  in  which  case  your  cast  on  the 
water  is  made  in  the  same  manner  as  in  spinning  the 
minnow  for  trout,  but  with  a  longer  line;  and  the 
lighter  your  bait  falls  upon  the  water  the  greater 
your  success.  Mr.  Jesse  strongly  recommends  the  use 
of  a  wooden  reel,  one  of  about  four  inches  and  a  half 
across,  having  the  rim  grooved  for  the  reception  of 
the  line. 

"  These  reels  turn  round  with  great  rapidity  when 
the  cast  is  made,  letting  out  a  sufficient  length  of  line, 
and  are  wound  up  again  by  turning  them  with  the  fore 
finger.  They  are  much  to  be  preferred  to  the  common 
brass  reel,  especially  in  fishing  from  a  boat ;  they  avoid 
the  noise  and  much  of  the  trouble  of  winding  up,  and 
the  line  never  kinks. 


124  THE  BRITISH 

A  reel  similar  to  this  is  used  by  salmon-fishers  in 
Scotland^  and  is  there  called  a  pirn.  It  will  require 
much  practice  to  enable  the  novice  to  cast  a  long  line 
when  the  river  is  wide,  but  in  small  streams  he  will  find 
little  difficulty.  Some  anglers  prefer  fishing  with  the 
gorge-hooks,  others  with  snap-hooks,  but  my  own 
experience  induces  me  to  prefer  the  former  as  the  best 
general  mode  of  trolling ;  and  this  kind  of  fishing  I 
shall  first  describe. 


THE  GOBGE-HOOK 

Is  either  a  double  or  single  hook,  fixed  on  twisted  brass 
wire,  and  loaded  on  the  shank  with  lead,  to  which  is 
attached  a  piece  of  gimp,  eight  or  ten  inches  long,  at 
the  end  of  which  is  a  small  loop.  To  bait  this  hook  you 
must  have  a  brass  needle,  about  seven  inches  long ;  put 
the  loop  of  the  gimp  on  the  eye,  or  small  curve,  of  the 
needle;  then  put  the  point  of  the  needle  in  at  the 
mouth  of  the  fish,  and  bring  it  out  at  his  tail ;  bring 
the  gimp  and  wire  along  with  it,  the  lead  being  fixed  in 
the  belly  of  the  bait-fish,  and  the  hook  or  hooks  lying 
close  to  the  outside  of  his  mouth  ;  then  turn  the  points 
of  the  hooks  towards  his  eyes,  if  a  double  hook,  but  if 
a  single  one,  directly  in  a  line  with  his  belly;  next 
tie  the  fishes  tail  to  the  arming  wire  very  neatly,  with 
strong  thread.  To  the  line  on  your  reel  you  must 
attach  a  gimp-trace,  twenty-four  inches  long,  having  a 


J 


ANGLEB^S  MANUAL.  125 

swivel  at  each  end^  and  one  in  the  middle.  The  spring 
swivel  at  the  end  of  your  line  is  to  be  hooked  on  the 
loop  of  your  baited  trace,  and  you  are  ready  for  sport. 

When  you  are  thus  prepared  drop  in  your  bait 
lightly  before  you,  then  cast  it  on  each  side,  and  let 
the  third  throw  be  across  the  river,  or  as  far  as  you 
can  reach,  still  letting  the  bait  fall  lightly  on  the  water. 
In  each  cast  let  your  bait  fall  nearly  to  the  bottom ; 
then  draw  it  up  gently  towards  you,  and  again  let  it 
sink  and  rise  till  you  draw  it  out  of  the  water  for 
another  cast. 

I  have  before  named  the  favourite  haunts  of  the  pike, 
but  when  you  are  in  a  good  water  you  should  carefully 
fish  every  part  of  it,  for  you  may  often  have  a  run 
where  you  least  expect  it :  weeds  are  a  great  annoyance 
to  the  troller,  and  he  will  often  bruise  his  bait  and 
injure  his  tackle,  unless  he  is  very  cautious.  At  every 
new  cast  be  careful  to  examine  your  bait,  and  clear  it 
from  leaves  and  weeds,  as  the  pike  is  very  dainty,  and 
will  not  touch  a  soiled  bait. 

The  further  you  throw  your  bait,  if  the  water  be 
broad  (provided  always  that  it  falls  lightly),  the  greater 
your  chance  of  success,  so  that  you  are  not  interrupted 
by  weeds,  roots  of  trees,  &c. ;  and  if  the  water  should 
be  very  weedy,  you  wiU  be  compelled  to  drop  your  bait 
into  deep,  clear  openings. 

When  you  fed  a  run  let  your  line  be  perfectly  free, 
and  allow  the  fish  to  make  for  his  haunt  without  check ; 


126  TH£  BRITISH 

and  when  he  stops  give  out  a  little  slack  line.  By  your 
watch  give  him  ten  minutes  to  pouch  the  bait  before 
you  strike^  which  you  may  then  do,  by  first  gently 
drawing  in  your  slack  Une,  and  then  striking  gently ; 
but  should  your  fish  move  soon  after  he  has  been  to 
his  haunt,  give  him  line,  and  he  will  stop  again ;  but 
after  this,  if  he  move  a  second  time  before  the  ten 
minutes  are  expired,  strike,  and  you  will  most  likely 
secure  him :  but  if  he  has  only  been  playing  with  the 
bait,  you  will  have  lost  him. 

When  I  have  been  so  served  once  or  twice,  I  gene- 
rally resort  to  my  snap-tackle. 

K  you  have  fairly  hooked  your  fish  he  cannot  easily 
break  away ;  and  as  your  tackle  is  strong,  unless  he  is 
very  large  you  need  not  give  out  much  line,  but  hold 
him  fast  and  clear  of  the  weeds,  giving  him  but  a 
short  struggle  for  his  life.  The  gaff  is  better  than  a 
net  for  landing  a  large  pike,  for  he  is  dangerous  to 
handle,  and  his  bite  is  much  to  be  dreaded. 

When  you  are  without  either  gaff  or  landing-net, 
seize  the  fish  by  putting  your  finger  and  thumb  into 
his  eyes.  Half-a-dozen  gorge-hooks  may  be  carried  in 
a  tin  box,  with  a  little  bran,  ready  baited,  which  will 
generaUy  serve  for  a  morning's  sport. 

ANGLING   AT   THE    SNAP. 

I  shall  first  describe  the  old-fashioned  mode,  although 
it  is  now  rarely  practised. 


angler's  manual.  127 

The  spring-snap  was  formerly  much  in  use^  and 
may  be  purchased  at  any  of  the  tackle-shops.  It  con- 
sists of  three  hooks^  the  upper  one  small,  and  the  two 
lower  hooks  large.  The  spring  confines  the  lower 
hooks,  but  the  spring  gives  way,  and  the  hooks  spread 
out  when  the  fish  is  struck,  and  hold  him  securely. 

It  is  baited  by  introducing  the  point  of  the  small 
hook  under  the  skin  of  the  bait,  on  the  side,  and  bring- 
ing it  out  at  the  back  fin.  Mr.  Salter  gives  the 
following  directions  for  the  double-hook  snap,  which 
may  be  used  either  with  a  dead  or  live  bait :  — 

^^This  snap-hook  is  a  double  hook,  or  two  single 
hooks,  No.  6,  tied  back  to  back,  on  gimp ;  to  bait  this 
snap  use  the  baiting-needle,  having  first  placed  the 
loop  of  the  gimp  to  which  the  hooks  are  tied  in  the  eye 
^of  the  needle.  Enter  the  point  of  the  needle  just  above 
the  gills  of  the  fish,  near  the  back,  avoiding  to  pierce 
the  flesh  as  much  as  possible,  as  it  is  only  intended 
that  the  gimp  should  he  just  behind  the  skin.  Bring 
the  needle  and  the  loop  of  the  gimp  out  near  the  tail, 
and  draw  till  the  hooks  lie  close  to  the  part  your  needle 
entered,  and  are  somewhat  hid  by  the  gills.  The  bait 
will  live  a  long  time  after  being  thus  hooked,  and  may 
be  used  in  fishing  with  a  float,  by  putting  three  swan 
shot  on  the  gimp,  to  keep  it  down :  always  prefer  a 
gudgeon  for  this  baiting.  I  call  this  a  snap,  because 
when  fishing  this  way  for  jack,  I  strike  immediately  I 
perceive  a  run,  and  have  met  great  success  this  way 


128  THE  BRITISH 

of  snap-fishing.     This  snap  may  be  baited  with  dead 
fish,  and  trolled  with/' 

Although  I  have  quoted  this  mode  of  keeping  a 
bait  "  a  long  time  alive  on  the  hook/'  I  by  no  means 
recommend  the  practice  to  my  young  brothers  of  the 
angle,  for  I  have  long  confined  myself  to  the  use  of  the 
dead  bait ;  and  with  the  gorge-hook,  and  the  snap  used 
in  the  manner  I  am  about  to  describe,  the  pike-fisher 
will  never  want  sport  in  a  well-stored  water. 

I  have  before  said,  that  by  spinning  the  minnow 
with  the  same  kind  of  tackle  as  that  used  in  spinning 
the  bleak  for  Thames  trout,  I  have  taken  many  jack, 
perch,  and  trout;  but  I  have  also  frequently  lost  my 
tackle,  by  the  gut  being  bitten  through  by  the  sharp 
teeth  of  the  pike.  To  remedy  this  evil,  gimp  may  be 
employed  instead  of  gut ;  indeed,  the  snap-tackle  now 
generally  sold  at  the  shops  is  of  this  description,  but 
with  larger  hooks  than  I  use,  and  coarser  gimp. 

I  must  now  refer  my  reader  to  the  article  on 
Minnow  and  Bleak  fishing,  page  70,  where  he  will 
find  a  sketch  and  description  of  the  tackle  I  recommend 
for  the  snap,  and  directions  for  baiting  his  hook ;  only 
that  fine  gimp  must  be  used  instead  of  gut,  and  the 
hooks  must  be  No.  8,  and  may  be  had,  ready  fitted  up, 
at  Mr.  Chevalier's,  in  Bell  Alley ;  at  Mr.  Barth's,  Cock- 
spur  Street ;  and  other  tackle-shops. 

The  angler  must  now  make  his  casts  in  the  manner 
recommended  in  trolling  with  the  gorge-hook,  letting 


angler's  manual.  129 

the  bait  partly  sink,  and  then  drawing  it  towards  him 
by  gentle  touches,  by  which  means  the  bait  will  spin 
freely,  and  look  bright  and  ghttering  in  the  water. 
When  you  feel  or  see  a  bite,  let  the  fish  turn,  and  then 
strike  gently,  but  still  with  sufficient  quickness  and 
force  to  make  your  hooks  hold.  And  now,  with  patience 
and  perseverance  added  to  these  instructions,  a  com- 
plete disregard  of  cold  and  wind,  and  a  determination 
never  to  lose  his  temper  at  trifling  disappointments,  the 
tyro  may  soon  become  a  master.     Nobbs  says  : — 

''  The  truth  is,  if  sport  be  quick,  scarcely  any  thing 
can  vex  or  discompose  the  fisher,  for  he  is  then  so 
attentive  to  his  pleasure  that  he  takes  Uttle  notice  of 
those  inconveniences  which  otherwise  might  be  trouble 
and  vexation ;  he  then  regards  neither  wind  nor  weather, 
and  disdains  those  slight  perturbations  of  cold,  thirst,  or 
hunger.  He  hath  then  gotten  the  philosopher's  stone, 
which  sweetens  all  his  other  crosses,  and  turns  all 
disasters  into  gold.  His  sport  is  a  cordial  for  all  dis- 
tempers; and  the  pike,  like  a  good  water-physician, 
cures  him  of  all  diseases.  If  weary,  his  sport  refreshes 
him }  if  cold,  it  warms  him ;  if  melancholy,  it  cheers 
him;  if  drowsy,  it  revives  him;  if  in  pain,  it  eases 
him;  if  sick,  it  recovers  him:  he  then  feels  not  the 
weight,  nor  is  concerned  that  his  tackle  is  no  better. 
This  is  the  prosperity  of  the  fisher;  but  if  you  see 
him  in  adversity,  when  fortune  does  not  smile  on  his 
endeavours,  you  shall  find  him  much  altered,  and  in  a 


130  THE  BRITISH 

contrary  condition — supposing,  I  say,  that  the  thing 
called  luck  does  not  attend  him,  which  should  refine  all 
the  dross  of  outward  misfortunes ;  he  is  then  so  much 
at  a  loss  and  dejected  that  he  can  expect  but  a  bitter 
portion.  Patience  and  hope  are  the  two  chief  pillars 
that  support  the  building  of  a  fisherman,  for  if  once 
they  are  disturbed,  or  shaken,  you  may  easily  foresee 
the  ruin  of  Piscator." 

Of  live-bait  fishing  I  shall  say  but  little,  as  I  do 
not  practise  it  myself,  nor  can  I  recommend  it  to 
others. 

The  hook  is  baited  by  passing  it  through  the  fishes 
lips,  or  beneath  the  back  fin ;  a  large  cork  float  is  used^ 
and  a  gudgeon  is  considered  the  best  live  bait :  two  or 
three  swan  shot  will  be  necessary  to  keep  down  the 
bait,  which  should  swim  about  mid  water.  When  a 
fish  bites  he  must  be  suffered  to  run  to  his  haunt,  and 
ten  minutes  allowed  him  to  pouch  the  bait,  as  in 
trolling  with  the  gorge-hook. 

Of  trimmer-fishing  and  night-lines  I  shall  say  no- 
thing further  than  that  they  are  unworthy  of  a  sports- 
man. Trimmers  may  be  purchased  at  any  of  the 
tackle- shops,  and  may  be  useful  to  the  gamekeeper  to 
furnish  his  master's  table;  but  the  skilful  artist  will 
disdain  to  have  one  in  his  possession. 

[1  quite  agree  with  the  remark  respecting  trimmers 
and  night-lines,  but  I  think  Mr.  Hofland  may  mislead 
young  fishermen  by  what  he  says  on  the  subject  of 


/LNGLEB^S   MANUAL.  131 

gorge  and  snap-fishing  for  pike.  The  former,  in  very 
weedy  ponds,  may  now  and  then,  perhaps,  be  used 
with  effect ;  but  it  is  a  tedious  and  uncertain  mode  of 
taking  fish.  Wherever  the  snap  can  be  brought  into 
play,  spinning-tackle  should  always  be  substituted.  It 
is  not  only  a  sportsmanlike  and  agreeable  mode  of 
fishing,  but,  generally  speaking,  three  fish  may  be 
caught,  when,  probably,  only  one  would  be  taken,  by 
the  snap  or  gorge.  The  tackle  should  be  the  same  as 
that  used  for  spinning  for  trout,  except  that  gimp 
should  be  substituted  for  gut.  Almost  every  thing, 
however,  depends  on  the  way  in  which  the  bait  is 
fixed  to  the  hooks,  so  as  to  make  it  spin  properly. 

And  here  I  would  recommend  the  young  prac- 
titioner to  seek  out  the  Purdys,  the  Wilders,  and  the 
Wisdoms  of  the  river  Thames,  and  take  a  few  lessons 
from  them  in  putting  baits  on  spinning-tackle,  and  in 
throwing  the  line.  These  men,  and  some  other  pro- 
fessional fishermen,  with  certain  gentlemen  who  have 
practised  with  them,  are  not  to  be  equalled  in  England, 
and  I  might  add  in  the  world,  as  expert  spinners.  The 
Thames  alone  can  produce  them.  It  is  an  art,  how- 
ever, not  to  be  learned  in  a  day.  The  gathering  up 
the  line  with  the  thumb  and  little  finger  of  the  left  hand, 
throwing  out  the  bait  from  a  twelve-feet  rod  with  the 
right  hand,  letting  the  gathered  line  go  at  the  same 
time,  and  then  spinning  the  bait  in  a  neat  and  masterly 
manner,  while  the  left  hand  is  again  at  work  in  collect- 


132  THE  BRITISH 

ing  the  line  for  the  next  cast^  must  be  seen  in  order  to 
be  admired  and  imitated^  for  no  description  can  do 
justice  to  it. 

Often  have  I  seen  one  of  these  anglers  standing  on 
the  top  of  a  wier^  and  throwing  his  bait  into  the  foam- 
ing waters  beneath.  This  requires  a  strong  head  and 
good  nerves ;  but  a  skilful  fisherman  is  offcen  rewarded 
by  hooking  a  noble  Thames  trout,  perhaps, — without 
exception,  the  best  fish  that  can  be  found,  if  properly 
crimped  and  prepared. 

This  mode  of  fishing  applies  equally  well  to  pike, 
and  no  one  who  has  tried  it  will  be  inclined  to  fish  in 
any  other  way.  I  may  add,  that  I  have  a  small 
hammer  fixed  to  the  end  of  a  knife,  about  nine  inches 
in  length,  with  which,  with  one  blow  on  the  head  of 
the  fish  between  the  eyes,  I  instantly  kill  it  as  soon  as 
it  is  landed.  The  hooks  may  then  be  removed  from 
the  mouth,  with  no  risk  and  little  trouble.  The  fish 
should  then  be  crimped,  by  cutting  from  the  fork  of 
the  tail  upwards,  about  two  inches,  and  held  up  to 
bleed  for  two  or  three  minutes. — Ed.] 

A  diflFerence  of  opinion  exists  with  respect  to  the 
age  and  weight  at  which  a  pike  is  the  best  food,  some 
contending  for  the  superiority  of  large,  and  others  for 
that  of  small  fish ;  but,  as  far  as  my  experience  goes,  I 
should  say  a  fish  well  fed,  in  October  and  November^ 
from  eight  to  twelve  pounds,  is  in  perfection.  I  have 
frequently  partaken  of  pike  of  this  size,  at  the  late 


angler's  manual.  133 

Earl  of  Harcourt's  (St.  Leonard^s^  near  Windsor),  caught 
in  Virginia  Water,  and  I  certainly  thought  them  very 
superior  in  firmness  and  flavour  to  any  small  pike  or 
jack  I  ever  tasted. 

Nobbs  gives  the  following  receipt  for  dressing  a 
pike : — 

''Take  your  pike  and  open  him;  rub  him  within 
with  salt  and  claret  wine  :  save  the  milt,  and  a  little  of 
the  bloody  fat ;  cut  him  in  two  or  three  pieces,  and  put 
him  in  when  the  water  boils ;  put  in  with  him  sweet 
marjoram,  savory,  thyme,  or  fennel,  with  a  good  hand- 
ful of  salt :  let  them  boil  nearly  half  an  hour.  For  the 
sauce,  take  sweet  butter,  anchovies,  horse-radish,  claret 
wine,  of  each  a  good  quantity ;  a  Uttle  of  the  blood, 
shalot,  or  garhc,  and  some  lemon  sliced:  beat  them 
well  together  and  serve  him  up.^'  ^ 

[When  a  pike  has  been  crimped,  there  is  no  better 
way  of  dressing  it  than  boiling  it  in  salt  and  water, 
with  a  good  stuffing  in  its  belly.] 


CHAPTER  VI. 


The  perch  is  only  second  to  the  pike  in  boldness 
and  voracity ;  he  is  gregarious,  and  ia  an  inhabitant  of 
almost  all  the  rivers,  lakes,  and  ponds,  of  these  king- 
doms, and  of  most  parts  of  Europe.  He  is  the  dehght 
of  the  young  angler,  as  he  bites,  at  times,  very  freely, 
at  nearly  every  kind  of  bait  offered  to  him,  and  is  to  be 
caught  with  the  most  homble  kind  of  tackle. 

As  they  swim  in  shoals,  twenty  or  thirty  of  them 
are  sometimes  taken  in  a  short  time  in  one  spot.  But 
there  arc  times  and  seasons  when  it  is  past  the  angler's 
art  to  tempt  the  perch  to  feed ;  the  middle  of  the  day 
in  summer  is  very  unfavourable,  and  I  should  say,  as  a 
general  rule,  the  best  time  of  angling  for  them  is  from 
sunrise  till  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  from  four 
o'clock  till  dusk  in  the  evening. 


ANOLER^S  MANUAL.  135 

The  month  of  February  has  been  considered  a  good 
season  for  perch-fishing;  but  as  they  spawn  in  April 
and  May,  from  that  time  they  are  out  of  condition  till 
August,  from  which  period  they  remain  in  season  till 
the  beginning  of  March. 

The  flesh  of  the  perch  is  very  firm  and  white,  of 
excellent  flavour,  and  particularly  wholesome  and  easy 
of  digestion. 

Mr.  Yarrell  says,  "  the  perch,  though  very  common, 
is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  our  fresh-water  fishes, 
and,  when  in  good  condition,  its  colours  are  brilliant 
and  striking.  The  upper  part  of  the  body  is  a  rich 
greenish  brown,  passing  into  golden  yellowish  white 
below ;  the  sides  ornamented  with  from  five  to  seven 
transverse  bands;  the  irides,  golden  yellow;  the  first 
dorsal  fin,  brown ;  the  membrane  connecting  two  or 
three  of  the  first  and  last  rays,  spotted  with  black ;  the 
second  dorsal  and  pectoral  fins,  pale  brown ;  ventral, 
anal,  and  caudal  fins,  bright  vermilion.^^ 

A  perch  of  three  pounds  is  considered  large,  but 
they  have  been  taken  of  the  weight  of  six  and  eight 
pounds,  and  one  is  said  to  have  been  caught  in  the  Ser- 
pentine, Hyde  Park,  which  weighed  nine  pounds. 

It  would  be  useless  to  point  out  the  particular  rivers 
and  lakes  where  perch  are  to  be  taken,  as  they  may  be 
found  almost  every  where ;  I  shall,  however,  name  a  few 
places  near  London.  First,  the  various  docks,  such  as 
the  West  and  East  India  Docks,  the  Commercial,  &c.. 


136  THS  BminsH 

abound  with  fine  pefdi,  and  the  Ikvourite  bait  in  these 
reaorts  is  a  lire  shiimp.  The  llianiesy  at  Maidenhead 
and  Marlofw,  is  fionoas  finr  hurge  pike  and  perch^  and 
the  ready  access  to  these  places  by  the  Great  Western 
Baiboad,  will  induce  many  brothers  of  the  angle  to 
visit  this  beantifal  part  of  the  Thames  ;  the  river  Lea^ 
also,  will  afford  good  sport  to  the  perch-fisher^  all  the 
way  firom  White  House  to  Hoddesden. 

The  perch  loves  to  lie  by  the  side  of  the  stream, 
and  under  deep  banks,  or  near  beds  of  the  water-lily, 
the  eddies  at  mill  tails,  and  tumbling  bays,  near  the 
old  piles  of  wooden  bridges,  or  old  kemp  sheeting,  as 
well  as  under  projecting  willow-boughs ;  the  best  baits 
for  a  perch  are  the  minnow,  the  gudgeon,  the  red  worm, 
and  the  brandling. 

[I  will  now  let  my  readers  into  a  secret  in  perch- 
fishing,  known  but  to  very  few,  and  which  alone  ought 
to  secure  the  future  fame,  as  well  as  the  sale,  of  this 
volume,  independently  of  its  other  merits.  I  have 
known  it  for  many  years,  but  have  never  before  di- 
vulged it,  except  to  one  or  two  friends. 

Perhaps  the  most  taking  time  of  the  year  for  perch 
is  in  the  autumn,  as  they  then  become  gregarious  fish, 
which  they  are  not  in  the  spring  or  summer. 

Procure  a  large  glass  bottle,  such  as  may  be  seen  in 
the  windows  of  chemists'  shops ;  the  clearer  the  glass 
the  better.  Fill  this  bottle  with  river  water,  and  put 
into  it  a  quantity  of  live  and  hvely  minnows.     Cover 


ANOLEB^S  MANUAL.  137 

the  top  with  a  piece  of  parchment,  haviQg  holes  punc- 
tured in  it.  Tie  a  strong  cord  round  the  neck  of  the 
bottle  so  prepared,  and  sink  it  near  a  pile  in  a  river, 
or  in  a  deep  hole  near  the  bank.  This  should  be  done 
early  in  the  morning,  or  late  in  the  evening,  when  no 
one  is  about  to  witness  the  operation ;  conceal  the  cord, 
and  leave  the  bottle  for  two  days.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  drop  a  paternoster,  baited  with  live  minnows,  by 
the  side  of  the  bottle,  and  the  angler  may  be  sure 
of  excellent  sport ;  as  the  sight  of  the  minnows  in  the 
bottle  will  have  attracted  numerous  perch  to  the  spot. 
The  neighbourhood  of  Fangboum,  in  Berkshire,  and 
Marlow,  are  good  locaUties  to  try  this  experiment,  as 
perch  abound  at  those  places.  Wherever,  however, 
there  are  perch,  whether  in  rivers,  ponds,  or  lakes,  the 
result  will  be  the  same.  This  may  be  called  poaching, 
but  I  do  not  think  it  is  more  so  than  using  ground- 
bait,  or  any  other  mode  of  attracting  fish  to  a  particular 
spot. — Ed.] 

The  minnow  may  be  used  by  fixing  a  No.  9  hook 
under  the  back  fin,  or  by  passing  it  through  his  lips 
with  a  cork  float,  carrying  shot  according  to  the  depth 
of  the  water.  You  should  fish  within  a  few  inches  of 
the  bottom,  and  when  a  fish  bites,  which  he  generally 
does  voraciously,  a  little  time  should  be  given  before 
you  strike ;  as,  if  not  well  hooked,  he  is  apt  to  break 
his  hold.  The  paternoster  is  much  used  for  minnow- 
fishing;   it  may  be  had  at  all  the  tackle-shops;  it  is 


138  THE  BRITISH 

sunk  by  a  small  bullet^  and  has  three  hooks  at  different 
distances^  which  may  be  baited  in  the  manner  above 
described;  but  my  favourite  mode  of  perch-fishing  is 
by  spinning  the  dead  minnow,*  with  the  tackle  de- 
scribed at  page  70,  which  gives  me  a  chance  at  the 
same  time  of  taking  jack  and  trout. 

The  gudgeon  or  the  bleak  may  of  course  be  used  in 
the  same  manner  when  large  perch  are  expected. 

In  worm-fishing,  the  brandling  and  the  red  worm 
are  the  best ;  a  No.  8  or  9  hook  may  be  employed,  and 
the  float  must  be  suitable  for  the  water.  Some  anglers 
prefer  roving  for  perch  in  the  following  manner : — 

Use  a  reel  on  your  rod,  and  have  bottom-tackle  of 
three  yards  of  gut,  with  a  hook  No.  8  or  9,  one  or  two 
shot  corns  to  sink  the  bait,  which  should  be  either  one 
or  two  well-scoured  red  worms;  and  you  must  then  cast 
your  line  across  the  stream,  letting  it  sink,  and  drawing 
it  towards  you  alternately  till  you  feel  a  bite,  then  allow 
a  few  seconds  before  you  strike.  You  may  also  drop 
this  bait  into  still,  deep  holes,  as  in  trout-fishing :  in- 
deed a  practical  angler  (especially  an  old  trout-fisher) 
will  prefer  this  mode  of  worm-fishing  to  the  use  of  the 
float. 

In  Cumberland  and  Westmoreland  the  perch  are 
commonly  called  bass. 

Small  perch  will  serve  to  make  water-souchy,  thus : 

*  The  live  minnow ,  when  it  can  be  had,  is  preferable. — Ed. 


angler's  manual.  139 

—  [Have  your  perch  ready  sealed,  gutted,  and  well- 
cleaned,  and  washed,  and  as  nearly  of  a  size  as  may  be. 
Stew  down  any  small  fish,  such  as  roach,  gudgeons, 
perch,  flounders,  or  dabs  of  soles,  in  about  two  quarts 
of  water.  Strain  them  off.  Have  ready  some  parsley 
well  washed  in  soft  water,  and  some  parsley  roots,  if 
they  can  be  had ;  if  not,  some  strips  of  parsnips.  Add 
salt,  and  boil  these  together  for  a  short  time  in  the 
stock  above-mentioned.  Put  in  the  perch,  and,  when 
sufficiently  done,  serve  up  in  a  large  deep  dish,  with  a 
quantum  sufficit  of  brown  bread  and  butter.  Probatum 
est,— Ed.] 


CHAPTER    VII. 


THE  BARBEL. 


The  barbel  is  ao  caUed  from  the  barb,  beard,  or 
wattles  that  hang  about  hia  mouth  and  nose :  he  is  a 
leather-monthed  fish,  and  though  he  eeldom  breaks  his 
hold  from  the  hook,  he  is  so  strong  and  active,  that  if 
a  lai^  fisb  and  not  well  managed,  he  will  carry  the 
young  angler's  tackle  away  before  he  can  turn  him  and 
get  him  into  play. 

This  is  a  very  handsome  fish,  but  of  httle  value  for 
the  table ;  the  flesh  is  sweet  but  not  firm,  and  is  very 
fidl  of  small  bones :  notwithstanding,  the  barbel  is 
much  sought  after  by  the  fisherman,  as  his  size, 
strength,  and  habits  cause  him  to  afibrd  excellent 
sport  to  the  angler  in  killing  him.  He  feeds  on  worms, 
slugs,  maggots,  and  small  fish,  and  hia  haimts  are  the 
deepest  parts  of  rivers,  near  the  piles  of  old  bridges, 
and  in  the  deeps  near  tnmblii^  bays. 


ANOLER^S  MANUAL.  141 

They  spawn  in  May  or  June^  and  are  soon  in  season 
after  spawning.  The  ova,  amounting  to  seven  or  eight 
thousand  in  a  full-sized  female,  are  deposited  on  the 
gravel,  and  covered  by  the  parent  fishes,  and  these  are 
vivified  in  a  warm  season  between  the  ninth  and  tenth 
day. 

They  swim  in  great  shoals,  and  the  river  Thames, 
from  Kew  to  Streetly,  abounds  with  them.  Barbel- 
fishing,  in  this  river,  may  be  said  to  commence  at 
Richmond,  though  a  few  are  taken  at  Kew,  Brentford, 
and  Isleworth. 

At  Richmond,  Teddington,  Kingston,  Ditton, 
Hampton,  Sunbury,  Shepperton,  and  Walton,  immense 
numbers  are  sometimes  caught  of  a  very  large  size; 
and  upwards  of  two  hundred  weight  of  barbel  have 
been  taken  in  the  Thames  with  one  rod  in  one  day. 
Mr.  Yarrell  says : — '^  The  largest  fish  I  can  find  re- 
corded weighed  fifteen  pounds  and  a  half,  but  it  is  said 
the  river  Lea  has  produced  a  barbel  weighing  nineteen 
pounds.'' 

The  two  general  modes  of  fishing  for  barbel  are 
with  a  float  and  with  the  ledger-bait;  and  the  best 
fishing  is  from  a  punt  fixed  across  the  stream. 

For  the  float-fishing  I  prefer  a  fine  gut  bottom- 
tackle  attached  to  my  reel-line,  with  a  hook  not  larger 
than  No.  9,  shotted  to  suit  the  stream,  so  that  I  have 
the  chance  of  taking  roach  and  dace  at  the  same  time ; 
and  by  fishing  thus  fine,  if  the  river  be  low  and  very 


142  THE  BRITISH 

bright,  you  have  a  greater  chance  of  taking  fish  than 
with  coarser  tackle ;  and  should  you  hook  a  very  heavy 
fish,  you  will  have  the  more  credit  in  killing  him.  The 
best  baits  for  float-fishing  are  gentles  and  greaves. 

Greaves  (or  tallow-chandlers'  scratchings)  have  al- 
ready been  described  in  the  chapter  on  Baits.  They 
should  be  chopped  into  small  pieces,  put  into  an 
earthen  pan,  and  have  as  much  boiling  water  poured 
on  them  as  will  cover  them;  but  they  must  not  be 
boiled  over  the  fire,  as  that  would  make  the  skins  toa 
soft  and  tender.  For  your  bait,  select  a  bit  of  clear, 
whitish,  tough  skin,  and  twist  it  well  on  to  your  hook, 
and  avoid  having  too  large  a  bait :  this  is  equally  good 
for  roach  and  dace.  The  gentle  is  also  an  excellent 
bait  for  barbel. 

When  the  water  is  very  clear,  I  have  found  the  fol- 
lowing plan  enabled  me  to  take  barbel,  when  I  could 
catch  them  in  no  other  way :  Use  the  tackle  above 
described,  and  fix  a  ball  of  clay  ground-bait  firmly  on 
your  line,  having  your  shot,  or  part  of  it,  within  the 
ball,  which  must  be  placed  within  one  inch  of  the  hook. 
You  then  throw  in  your  clay  ball  and  it  sinks  your  bait, 
and  acts  as  a  ledger ;  the  barbel  come  up  to  the  ground- 
bait,  and  not  seeing  the  tackle,  take  the  bait  freely ; 
and  in  this  manner  I  have  had  great  success.  Much 
caution  must  be  used  in  striking  when  you  become 
sensible  of  a  bite ;  for  if  you  strike  too  sharply,  the 
weight  of  the  clay- ball  is  apt  to  break  your  gut  tackle. 


angler's  manual.  143 

Very  strong  salmon-gut^  a  heavy  floaty  and  a  No.  4 
hook^  are  sometimes  used  at  Hampton^  Walton,  &c., 
and  baited  with  a  lob- worm :  in  this  kind  of  fishing  the 
bait  must  drag  along  the  ground. 

For  the  ledger-bait,  a  strong,  sohd  rod,  with  a  stifle 
top  and  running  tackle,  must  be  used  without  a  float, 
Yidth  a  hook  No.  7  or  8  for  greaves,  or  4  or  5  for  worms. 
About  twelve  inches  above  the  hook  is  placed  a  flat 
piece  of  lead  with  a  hole  through  it,  to  enable  you  to 
fix  it  on  the  line;  and  immediately  below  the  lead  is 
fixed  a  large  shot,  to  prevent  the  lead  from  slipping 
down ;  and  the  general  practice  now  is  to  cover  the 
lead  with  a  ball  of  clay  ground-bait,  though  formerly 
nothing  but  the  lead  was  used.  Bait  your  hook  with 
lob-worms,  marsh- worms,  or  greaves ;  cast  in  your  bait 
before  you  and  it  will  lie  clear  on  the  ground,  and  the 
point  of  your  rod  should  be  within  half  a  yard  of  the 
water  :  when  you  feel  a  smart  tug  or  two  at  your  line, 
strike  gently,  and  keep  your  line  clear,  that  your  fish,  if 
a  large  one,  may  run  freely  :  but  try  his  strength,  and 
by  all  means  turn  him  before  he  runs  out  your  line,  or 
you  will  inevitably  lose  him. 

The  barbel  is  thoroughly  game,  and  a  fish  of  eight 
or  ten  pounds  weight  will  try  your  tackle,  and  shew  you 
good  sport  before  he  is  your  own,  particularly  if  you 
are  fishing  with  roach  and  dace-tackle  instead  of  the 
ledger. 

A  barbel  was  caught  at  Hampton  by  Mr.  Bigbee, 


144  THE  BRITISH 

August  31st,  1823,  with  roach-tackle,  weighing  twelve 
pounds  and  a  half.  Large  barbel  are  caught  at  the 
various  subscription-waters  of  the  river  Lea,  of  which 
further  notice  will  be  taken  in  my  description  of  that 
river.  The  Trent,  near  Nottingham,  abounds  with 
barbel,  and  many  are  taken  near  the  bridge;  and  I 
have  myself  killed  many  large  barbel  and  chub  in  that 
neighbourhood  with  a  barbel  rod,  running -tackle,  a 
strong  gut  bottom,  and  one  or  two  shot  corns  without 
a  float.  I  baited  my  hook.  No.  8,  with  a  piece  of 
nemsh  cheese,  or  of  old  common  sort  of  cheese,  that  had 
been  soaked  in  a  wet  cloth  twenty-four  hours,  to  make 
it  moist  and  soft.  I  used  a  piece  for  bait  about  the  size 
of  a  hazel  nut,  and  dropped  it  &om  the  bank  into  any 
deep  hole,  by  the  side  of  any  |pddy  or  stream  that  I 
could  find,  letting  it  sink  to  the  bottom,  and  remain 
there  without  motion  till  I  felt  a  bite;  and  this  is 
equally  a  favourite  bait  with  the  barbel  and  chub. 
Many  years  since,  when  on  a  visit  to  Burton  Joyce  on 
the  Trent,  about  six  miles  from  Nottingham,  I  had 
great  sport  in  this  manner;  and  I  can  confidently 
recommend  it  as  a  sure  method  of  taking  barbel  in 
deep,  still  holes,  near  the  banks  of  a  river. 

You  can  never  hope  for  sport  in  barbel-fishing 
unless  you  throw  in  plenty  of  ground-bait,  made  as 
directed  at  page  22.  Another  good  ground-bait  is 
made  by  putting  gentles  into  the  centre  of  balls  of  bran 
and  clay,  and  when  these  balls   are  thrown  into  the 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  145 

water,  the  gentles  make  their  way  out  of  the  clay,  and 
attract  the  fish;  this  is  also  an  excellent  ground-bait 
for  roach  and  dace-fishing. 

The  barbel,  though  a  very  bony  fish,  is  certainly 
very  sweet  and  delicate  in  flavour,  if  cooked  immedi- 
ately after  it  is  caught ;  but  a  single  hour  will  impair 
its  goodness.  Most  of  the  barbel  taken  in  nets  are 
sold  by  the  fishermen  to  the  Jews  about  Whitechapel, 
who  are  very  fond  of  this  fish,  and  are  said  to  have  a 
mode  of  stewing  them  so  as  to  make  an  excellent  dish. 
The  spawn  of  barbel  acts  as  a  violent  cathartic  and 
emetic,  and  the  liver  also  is  unwholesome. 

[The  best  mode  of  dressing  barbel,  although  it  is  bad 
enough  at  the  best,  is  by  cutting  it  into  small  slices, 
soaking  them  in  salt  and  water  for  two  or  three  hours, 
and  then  spitchcock  them  as  eels  are  done. — Ed.] 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


THE  CARP  AND  TENCH. 


The  carp  is  a  beautiful  fiah,  with  "  scales  be-dropt 
with  gold,"  and  is  found  in  most  of  the  rivers  and 
lakes  of  Europe ;  but  the  breeding  of  carp  is  particularly 
cultivated  in  Prussia  and  the  German  empire,  where 
this  fisb  is  in  much  greater  estimation,  as  a  delicacy  for 
the  table,  than  in  England. 

Many  of  the  lakes,  ponds,  and  rivers  of  this  country 
are  well  stored  with  carp :  those  bred  in  rivers  are 
considered  the  best,  and  when  taken  in  the  Thames 
and  the  Lea,  though  few  in  number,  are  often  large, 
and  always  of  excellent  quality ;  but  carp  are  to  be 
found  in  the  greatest  abundance  in  the  ponds  and  arti- 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  147 

fidal  lakes  of  the  parks  and  pleasure-grounds  of  our 
nobility  and  gentry ;  and,  where  the  water  is  favourable, 
they  breed  rapidly,  and  become  very  numerous,  if  not 
kept  down  by  jack  and  perch. 

The  carp  is  said  to  have  lived,  in  some  instances,  to 
the  age  of  two  hundred  years;  it  will  exist  longer  out 
of  its  native  element  than  any  other  fresh-water  fish, — 
the  tench  and  eel  perhaps  excepted.  Mr.  Ray  says, 
^^  tJiat  in  Holland  they  have  a  speedy  way  of  fattening 
them,  by  hanging  them  up  in  a  net  in  a  cellar,  and 
feeding  them  with  bread  and  milk ; "  they  are  "  placed 
in  moss,  which  is  moistened  once  or  twice  a-day;  and  in 
this  manner  they  are  said  to  thrive,  and  improve  in 
flavour.'^  I  can  myself  offer  a  decisive  instance  of  their 
tenacity  of  life  out  of  the  water:  the  picture  from 
which  the  wood-cut  of  a  carp  and  tench  at  the  head  of 
this  chapter  was  engraved,  was  kindly  lent  to  me  by  my 
Mend  and  pupil  Mr.  George  Hilditch,  who  informed 
me  that,  when  painting  the  picture,  "  he  kept  these  fish 
in  a  tub  for  a  week,  taking  them  out  altemately  in  the 
mornings  at  ten  o'clock  to  paint  from,  and  putting 
them  into  water  again  at  four,  during  six  days ; "  and  I 
may  add,  that  his  amiable  sister  pleaded  so  well  for  the 
hves  of  these  two  fish,  who  had  seen  so  much  land  service, 
that  Mr.  Hilditch  took  them  down  from  Ludgate  Hill 
to  Blackfriars  Bridge,  when,  to  use  his  own  words, 
"  they  swam  away  quite  fresh  and  lively .'' 

Sir  Francis  Bacon  thought  that  the  carp  lived  only 


148  .    THE  BRITISH 

ten  years ;  but  Jonas  Dubrarius  informs  us  that  '^  carp 
begin  to  spawn  at  the  age  of  three  years^  and  continue 
to  do  so  till  thirty." 

Mr.  Yarrell  says,  "  they  spawn  towards  the  end  of 
May,  or  the  beginning  of  June,  depending  on  the  tem- 
perature of  the  water  and  the  season/'  So  do  all  fish. 
Izaak  Walton  says,  "  the  carp,  if  he  have  water-room, 
and  good  feed,  will  grow  to  a  very  great  bigness  and 
length.  I  have  heard,  to  be  much  above  a  yard  long, 
"lis  said  by  Jovius,  who  hath  writ  of  fishes,  that  in  the 
lake  Luriam,  in  Italy,  carps  have  thriven  to  be  more 
than  fifty  pounds  weight." 

Mr.  Ladbroke,  from  his  park  at  Gratton,  presented 
Lord  Egremont  with  a  brace  that  weighed  thirty-five 
pounds,  as  specimens  to  ascertain  whether  the  Surrey 
could  not  vie  with  the  Sussex  carp. 

At  Weston  Hall,  Staffordshire  (the  seat  of  the  Earl 
of  Bradford),  the  painting  of  a  carp  is  preserved,  which 
weighed  nineteen  pounds  and  a  half.* 

Sir  Richard  Baker,  in  his  "  Chronicle,'^  says, — 

^*  Hops  and  torkiesy  carps  and  beer, 
Came  into  England  all  in  a  year ;'' 

but  the  earliest  notice  of  this  fish  is  in  the  "  Boke  of 
St.  Alban^s,  by  Dame  Juliana  Bames,^^  emprinted  in 
1495,  where  carp  is  mentioned  as  a  "  deyntous  fishe.^' 


*  The  present  stuffed  specimen  in  the  British  Museum  I  presented. 
The  carp  was  caught  at  Pain's  Hill,  in  Surrey,  and  weighed  twenty- 
five  pounds :  perhaps  the  largest  on  record  in  this  country. — Ed. 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  149 

In  rivers,  the  carp  prefer  those  parts  where  the  cur- 
rent is  not  too  strong,  and  where  the  bottom  is  marly, 
or  muddy:  and  in  lakes,  or  ponds,  are  to  be  found 
near  beds  of  water-lilies,  and  other  aquatic  plants.  Old 
carp  are  very  crafty  and  wary,  and  will  not  easily  be 
taken  by  the  angler ;  but  young  ones,  when  a  pond  is 
well  stocked,  may  be  easily  taken  in  great  quantities. 

But  even  large  carp  will  become  very  tame,  in 
ponds  where  they  are  regularly  fed ;  for  Mr.  Jesse  says, 
of  some  carp  and  tench,  retained  by  him  in  a  stew, 
^'  that  they  were  soon  reconciled  to  their  situation,  and 
ate  boiled  potatoes  in  considerable  quantities,  and  the 
former  seemed  to  have  lost  their  original  shyness,  eating 
in  my  presence  without  any  scruple;"  and  Sir  John 
Hawkins  says,  he  was  assured  by  a  friend  of  his,  that 
he  saw  a  carp  come  to  the  edge  of  a  pond,  from  being 
whistled  to,  by  a  person  who  daily  fed  it ;  and  I  have, 
myself,  seen  carp  come  to  the  edge  of  the  water  to  be 
fed  with  bread,  by  the  visitors  to  Roche  Abbey,  cele- 
brated for  its  beautiful  scenery  and  fine  Gk)thic  ruins ; 
the  ponds  near  which  are  well  stocked  vrith  carp  and 
perch,  the  small  stream  that  supplies  them  containing 
fine  trout.  These  romantic  grounds  are  well  deserving 
the  attention  of  the  artist  and  amateur ;  they  are  the 
property  of  the  Earl  of  Scarborough,  distant  six  miles 
from  Rotherham  and  three  from  Tickhill. 

Notwithstanding  these  instances  of  familiarity,  it  is 
by  no  means  easy  to  make  a  large  carp  familiar  with 


150  THE  BRITISH 

yotir  bait :  to  do  this^  the  greatest  nicety  and  caution 
must  be  observed ;  but  if  the  young  angler,  who  has 
been  often  foiled  in  his  attempts,  will  patiently  and  im- 
plicitly follow  my  instructions,  he  will  become  a  match 
for  this  cunning  fish. 

Use  a  strong  rod,  with  running-tackle,  and  have  a 
bottom  of  three  yards  of  fineish  gut,  and  a  hook  No.  9 
or  10 ;  use  a  very  light  quill-float,  that  will  carry  two 
small  shot,  and  bait  with  a  well-scoured  red  worm. 

Now,  plumb  the  depth  with  the  greatest  nicety,  and 
let  your  bait  just  touch,  or  all  but  touch,  the  bottom  : 
but  you  are  not  yet  prepared ;  f or  a  forked  stick  must 
be  fixed  into  the  bank,  on  which  you  must  let  your  rod 
rest,  so  that  the  float  shall  fall  over  the  exact  spot  you 
have  plumbed.  Now,  throw  in  a  sufficient  quantity  of 
ground-bait,  of  bread  and  bran,  worked  into  a  paste,  and 
made  into  little  balls ;  or,  in  want  of  these,  throw  in  the 
garbage  of  chickens  or  ducks ;  and  all  this  is  to  be  done 
on  the  evening  of  the  day  before  you  intend  to  fish. 

The  next  morning,  if  in  summer,  be  at  the  pond 
side  where  you  have  baited  and  plumbed  your  depth, 
by  four  o'clock,  at  latest,  and,  taking  your  rod  and  line, 
which  is  already  fixed  to  the  exact  depth,  bait  with  a 
small,  bright,  red  worm ;  then  approach  the  water  cau- 
tiously, keeping  out  of  sight  as  much  as  possible,  and 
drop  your  bait  exactly  over  the  spot  you  plumbed  over- 
night ;  then  rest  part  of  your  rod  on  the  forked  stick, 
and  the  bottom  of  it  on  the  ground. 


ANQLER^S  MANUAL.  151 

You  must  now  retire  a  few  paces^  keeping  entirely 
out  of  sight;  but  stilly  near  enough  to  observe  your 
float ;  when  you  perceive  a  bite,  give  a  little  time ; 
indeed,  it  is  better  to  wait  till  you  see  the  float  begin  to 
move  off,  before  you  strike,  which  you  may  then  do 
smartly ;  and  as  the  carp  is  a  leather-mouthed  fish,  if 
you  manage  him  well,  there  is  no  fear  of  losing  him, 
unless  the  pond  is  very  weedy.  Be  careful  to  have 
your  line  free,  that,  if  a  large  fish,  he  may  run  out 
some  of  your  line  before  you  attempt  to  turn  him ;  as 
he  is  a  very  strong  fish,  and  your  tackle  rather  light, 
you  must  give  him  careful  play  before  you  land  him. 

The  extreme  shyness  of  the  large  carp  makes  all  this 
somewhat  tedious  process  necessary  to  insure  success ; 
but  I  can  safely  assert,  that  I  scarcely  ever  took  this 
trouble  in  vain.  Various  baits  are  recommended  for 
carp;  such  as  green  peas,  parboiled,  pastes  of  all  de- 
scriptions, gentles,  caterpillars,  &c. ;  but  I  have  found 
the  red  worm  the  best,  and,  next  to  this,  the  gentle, 
and  plain  bread  paste.  Those  who  prefer  a  sweet  paste 
may  dip  the  bread  in  honey.  Paste  and  gentles  will 
answer  better  in  autumn  than  spring.  April  and  May 
are,  in  my  opinion,  the  best  months  for  carp-fishing ; 
and  very  early  in  the  morning,  or  late  in  the  evening,  is 
the  best  time  for  pursuing  your  sport. 

[I  can  safely  recommend  another  method  of  taking 
carp. 

Bait   the   ground   (a   gravelly  bottom  is  the  best 


152  THE  BRITISH    . 

place)  with  potatoes  roughly  mashed.  Any  small  ones 
will  do.  This  shotdd  be  done  every  day. for  a  week. 
Fix  a  wattled  hurdle  about  two  or  three  yards  from  the 
edge  of  the  pond,  behind  which  you  can  conceal 
yourself.  Have  a  long  strong  rod,  with  strong  running 
tackle,  the  best  and  strongest  gut  you  can  procure, 
with  a  No.  8  hook.  Bury  the  hook  in  a  piece  of  half- 
boiled  potatoe,  about  as  big  as  the  end  of  your  fourth 
finger  to  the  first  joint;  drop  it  gently  into  the 
place  baited,  but  without  either  float  or  shot.  Have  a 
landing-net  ready,  for  it  will  soon  be  required.  Keep 
the  fish,  when  hooked,  as  much  as  possible  on  the  top 
of  the  water,  as  it  will  make  to  the  weeds  if  there  are 
any  near.  It  requires  some  skill  and  much  patience  to 
land  a  large  carp. — ^Ed.] 

The  body  of  the  carp  is  covered  with  large  scales, 
about  twelve  rows,  between  the  ventral  and  dorsal  fins ; 
the  general  colour  is  golden  oUve  brown ;  head  darkest ; 
irides,  golden ;  belly,  yellowish  white ;  lateral  line  in- 
terrupted, straight ;  the  fins,  dark  brown. 

TO    STEW    CARP,    OR    TENCH. 

» 

Cut  and  scale  your  fish ;  wash  and  dry  them  well 
with  a  clean  cloth ;  dredge  them  well  with  flour ;  fry 
them  in  dripping  until  they  are  of  a  light  brown ;  and 
then  put  them  in  a  stewpan,  with  a  quart  of  water,  a 
quart  of  red  wine,  a  meat-spoonful  of  lemon  pickle. 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  153 

another  of  browning,  the  same  of  wahiut  and  of  mush- 
room catchup ;  a  little  mushroom  powder,  and  cayenne 
to  your  taste ;  and  a  stick  of  horse-radish,  with  a  small 
bunch  of  thyme.  Cover  your  pan  close  up,  to  keep  in 
the  steam ;  let  these  stew  gently  over  a  stove  fire,  till 
your  gravy  is  reduced  to  just  enough  to  cover  your  fish 
in  the  dish  you  intend  for  the  table.  Set  the  gravy  on 
the  fire,  and  thicken  it  with  flour,  and  a  small  piece  of 
butter ;  boil  it  a  Kttle,  and  strain  it  over  your  fish. 

THE    CRUCIAN,    OR   PRUSSIAN    CARP, 

Is  much  smaller  than  the  common  carp ;  the  form  of 
the  head  is  obtuse,  the  mouth  and  eyes  small,  the  body 
rather  short  and  thick,  and  the  scales  large.  The  top  of 
the  head  and  back  are  of  olive  brown,  the  sides  lighter 
in  colour,  the  belly  almost  white,  and  the  whole  fish 
shining  with  a  brilliant  golden  metallic  lustre  :  irides, 
golden ;  cheeks  and  gill-covers,  brilliant  golden  yellow; 
the  dorsal  fin,  and  upper  part  of  the  tail,  brown,  tinged 
with  orange ;  pectoral,  ventral,  and  anal  fins,  orange  red ; 
and  the  lower  part  of  the  tail  tinged  with  the  same 
colour. 

These  fish  are  found  in  ponds  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  London,  and  also  in  the  Thames.  The  general  weight 
is  from  six  to  eight  ounces ;  but  in  some  waters  they 
will  attain  the  weight  of  two  pounds.  They  are  very 
prolific,  very  tenacious  of  life,  and  will,  it  is  said,  live 


154  THE  BRITISH 

thirty  hours  out  of  the  water.  I  have  seen  Prossian 
carp  caught  in  some  small  ponds  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Chalk  Farm  and  Hampstead ;  but  they  were  very 
smaU :  it  is  probable  they  may  be  found  in  other  parts 
of  the  kingdom,  but  I  have  never  sought  after  them. 
The  baits  to  be  used  are  pastes,  gentles,  and  red  worms. 
They  may  be  kept  in  a  glass,  like  gold  fish.* 

THE    TENCH. 

The  tench  has  been  called  the  fish's  physician,  be- 
cause the  slime  which  is  spread  all  over  it,  like  that  of 
the  eel,  appears  to  have  a  healing  quality  for  wounded 
fishes  ;  and  the  ravenous  pike  himself  is  said  to  be  so 
sensible  of  this  property  in  the  tench,  that  he  will  not 
feed  upon  him. 

**  The  pike,  fell  tyrant  of  the  liquid  plain, 
With  ray'noTis  waste  devours  his  fellow  train, 
Yet,  howsoe'er  with  raging  famine  pin'd. 
The  tench  he  spares,  a  medicinal  kind." 

Mr.  Salter  says,  "  the  eel  also  foregoes  his  voracity, 
in  regard  to  the  tench,  both  by  night  and  by  day.  I 
have  known  several  trimmers  to  be  laid  at  night,  baited 
with  hve  fish,  roach,  dace,  bleak  and  tench,  each  about 
six  or  seven  inches  long;  and  when  those  trimmers 
were  examined  in  the  morning,  both  eels  and  jack  have 

*  There  is  a  small  lake  near  Builth,  in  South  Wales,  which  only 
contains  Crucian  carp,  and  some  of  them  are  caught  of  a  large 
size.  —  Ed. 


angler's  manual.  155 

been  taken  by  hooks  baited  with  any  other  fish  than 
tench^  which  I  found  as  lively  as  when  put  into  the 
river  the  preceding  nighty  without  ever  having  been 
disturbed.  This  has  been  invariably  the  case  during  my 
experience;  neither  have  I  met  with  one  solitary  in- 
stance to  the  contrary^  related  by  any  of  my  ac- 
quaintances^ who  have  had  numerous  opportunities  of 
noticing  the  singular  circumstance  of  the  perfect 
freedom  from  deaths  or  wounds^  which  the  tench  enjoys 
over  every  other  inhabitant  of  the  liquid  element^ 
arising  from  continual  conflicts  with  each  other/^ 

[There  is  not  one  word  of  truth  in  this,  as  pike  will 
run  at  small  tench  as  eagerly  as  any  other  fish,  as  I 
have  often  experienced. — En.] 

The  tench  is  found  in  most  of  our  ponds  and  orna- 
mental waters,  and  in  some  of  our  lakes  and  rivers,*  but 
they  breed  best  in  ponds,  or  deep  pits,  where  brick 
earth  has  been  removed,  and  there  is  a  marly  bottom. 
They  also  thrive  where  a  pond  appears  to  be  choked  up 
with  weeds ;  an  instance  of  which  is  given  by  Daniel,  in 
his  "  Rural  Sports.'' 

"  A  piece  of  water,  which  had  been  ordered  to  be 
filled  up,  and  into  which  wood  and  rubbish  had  been 
thrown  for  years,  was  directed  to  be  cleaned  out.  Per- 
sons were  accordingly  employed,  and,  although  choked 

*  A  Thames  tench,  when  it  can  be  procured,  is  a  most  excellent 
fish.-  Ed. 


156  THE  BRITISH 

up  by  weeds  and  mud^  with  so  little  water  remaining 
that  no  person  expected  to  see  any  fish^  except  a  few 
eels,  yet  nearly  two  hundred  brace  of  tench,  of  all  sizes, 
and  as  many  perch,  were  found.  After  the  pond  was 
thought  to  be  quite  firee,  under  some  roots  there  seemed 
to  be  an  animal,  which  was  conjectured  to  be  an  otter  : 
the  place  was  surrounded,  and  on  opening  an  entrance 
among  the  roots  a  tench  was  found,  of  most  singular 
form,  haying  literally  assumed  the  shape  of  the  hole  in 
which  he  had,  of  course,  been  for  many  years  confined. 
His  length,  from  eye  to  fork,  was  thirty-three  inches  ; 
his  circumference,  almost  to  the  tail,  was  twenty-seven 
inches;  his  weight,  eleven  pounds,  nine  ounces,  and  a 
quarter;  the  colour  was  also  very  singular,  his  belly 
being  that  of  charr  or  vermihon.  This  extraordinary 
fish,  after  being  inspected  by  many  gentlemen,  was 
carefully  put  into  a  pond,  and  at  the  time  this  account 
was  written  (twelve  months  afterwards)  was  alive  and 
well/^ 

Tench  seldom  exceed  five  or  six  pounds  in  weight, 
though  the  above  instance  proves  that  they  are  some- 
times taken  of  a  larger  growth.  Tench,  like  carp,  are 
very  tenacious  of  life,  and  might  be  carried,  by  railroad, 
from  one  end  of  the  kingdom  to  the  other,  and  be 
able  to  swim  at  their  joumey^s  end.  As  an  article  of 
food,  it  is  greatly  esteemed,  and  is  very  superior  to  the 
carp.     It  is  a  great  breeder,  and  easily  transported  from 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  157 

one  part  of  the  country  to  another,  and  therefore  well 
calculated  for  stocking  newly  made  ornamental  waters. 
[The  general  price  for  stock-fish  is  2/.  a-hundred.]  The 
tench  spawns  in  June,  with  some  variation,  depending 
on  the  water  and  the  season. 

The  tench  is  not  elegantly  shaped,  being  broad  and 
thick ;  his  scales  are  very  small,  and  his  body  is  co- 
vered with  a  slimy  substance ;  the  head  is  rather  large 
and  blunt,  the  mouth  small,  with  a  very  large  barbule 
at  each  comer;  the  lips  flesh-coloured;  the  eyes  small. 
The  general  colour  of  the  body,  greenish  olive  gold,  and 
lightest  along  the  whole  line  of  the  under  surface,  the 
fins  being  of  a  darker  brown. 

The  method  of  angling  recommended  for  carp  will 
also  serve  for  tench ;  and  the  same  baits  may  be  used, 
i,  e.  red  and  blood  worms,  gentles,  and  paste.*  Your 
hook  should  not  be  larger  than  No.  10,  and  your  gut 
something  finer  than  for  carp-fishing.  April  and  May 
are  good  months,  when  the  worm  is  the  only  bait  ne- 
cessary: some  anglers  prefer  paste,  or  gentles,  for 
summer  and  autumn ;  but  I  have  seldom  found  a  well- 
scoured  red  worm  fail  me  at  any  season.  In  rivers, 
your  bait  must  drag  the  ground ;  and  in  ponds,  must 
nearly  touch  the  bottom. 

For  ground-bait,  use  fresh,  sweet  greaves,  or  bread 


*  The  tench,  however,  roves  much  in  the  evening,  and  that  is  the 
best  time  to  take  them. — Ed. 


158  ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  J 

and  bran  kneaded  together^  and  made  into  small  balls^ 
as  named  before. 

One  of  our  poets  has  aptly  described  the  times  of 
day  most  favourable  to  carp-fishing : — 

''  At  early  dawn,  or  rather,  when  the  air 
Glimmers  with  fiiding  light,  and  ghado^  eve 
Is  busiest  to  confer  and  to  bereave ; 
Then,  pensive  votary !  let  thy  feet  repair 
To  sOent  lake,  or  gentle  river  hax,** 

4 


CHAPTER  IX. 


The  chub  is  a  well-known  fish,  and  is  common  to 
most  of  the  larger  rivers  of  the  three  kingdoms  j  but 
many  of  the  smaller  streams  contain  no  other  fish  than 
tront,  eels,  and  minnows,  with  the  occasional  addition  of 
the  grayling.  Mr.  Yarrell  is  mistaken  in  saying,  "  the 
chnb  is  the  skelly  of  Cumberland,"  as  I  have  seen  the 
skelly  caught  by  nets  in  vast  quantities  in  Ulswater, 
where,  at  certain  seasons,  they  swim  near  the  top  of  the 
water  in  immense  shoals,  like  herrings  j  and,  indeed, 
tbey  are  sometimes  called  the  fresh-water  herring,  as 
they  bear  a  great  resemblance  to  the  herring,  but  have 
no  kind  of  afiSnity  to  the  chub  whatever. 

Although  the  chub  is  in  little  estimation  for  the 


160  THE  BRITISH 

table,  being  very  coarse  and  bony,  he  is  handsome  both 
in  form  and  colour.  The  head  is  large,  as  are  also  the 
scales ;  the  whole  of  the  upper  part  of  the  back  is  a 
blueish  black,  the  sides  a  blueish  white,  passing  into 
creamy  whiteness  on  the  belly.  The  dorsal  and  caudal 
fins  dusky,  the  pectoral  fins  reddish  brown,  and  the 
ventral  and  anal  fins  orange  red. 

They  spawn  in  April  or  May,  and  are  best  in  season 
from  October  tiU  April.  The  rivers  Thames  and  Lea 
abound  with  chub,  and  they  afford  good  sport  to  the 
angler,  as  they  may  be  caught  either  with  bottom- 
fishing  or  the  fly,  all  the  year  round.  The  chub 
deUghts  in  deep  holes,  under  steep,  well- wooded  banks, 
where  he  shelters  himself,  and  hes  in  wait  for  the  flies 
and  grubs  that  fall  from  the  branches  of  the  over- 
hanging trees.  He  is  also  fond  of  sheltering  near  the 
wood-work  of  locks,  and  the  piles  of  bridges ;  but  he  is 
seldom  met  with  in  still  waters  or  ponds,  and  never 
thrives  but  in  rivers. 

He  will  grow  to  the  weight  of  five  or  six  pounds, 
when  his  head  becomes  larger  in  proportion,  and  he 
is  then  by  no  means  so  handsome  a  fish  as  when  about 
two  pounds.  He  feeds  upon  small  fish,  all  kinds  of 
flies,  grubs,  and  insects,  but  is  more  especially  fond 
of  the  cockchafer :  and  Mr.  Jesse  says  of  the  chub, 
confined  with  other  fish,  where  their  actions  could  be 
noticed,  '^  that  they  were  always  restless  and  shy,  but 
could  never  resist  a  cockchafer  when  thrown  to  them.^' 


ANOLER^S  MANUAL.  161 

Although  a  greedy  fish,  he  is  very  shy,  and  if  you  are 
seen  he  will  seldom  take  your  bait ;  so  that  great  caution 
is  requisite  in  approaching  the  water  when  you  are 
dibbing  with  the  natural  fly,  which  is  much  practised 
from  the  willow  aits  of  the  river  Thames.  A  long  rod 
and  a  short  line  are  used,  and  any  fly  you  can  procure 
as  a  bait;  but  the  most  tempting  you  can  offer  is  a 
cockchafer  in  spring,  and  a  grashopper  in  autumn. 

In  winter,  when  chub  are  in  the  highest  season,  and 
when  the  water  is  clear,  the  most  killing  bait  is  bullocks^ 
brains,  or  the  pith  of  an  ox^s  backbone,  which  should 
be  used  with  a  double  hook.  No.  8  or  9,  as  this  bait  is 
very  tender.  Your  rod  must  be  strong,  with  running- 
tackle  ;  your  bottom  of  strong  gut :  have  one  or  two 
shot  to  sink  your  bait,  and  fish  without  a  float :  drop 
your  bait  into  a  deep  hole,  or  under  any  bank  where 
there  is  harbour  for  fish,  and  let  it  sink  nearly  to  the 
bottom,  moving  it  gently  along  with  the  current,  and 
the  fish  will  rarely  refuse  it.  When  you  have  hooked  a 
good  chub,  give  him  line,  for  he  shoots  out  furiously  for 
a  few  seconds,  but  the  moment  you  have  turned  him  he 
gives  up  the  contest.  In  the  article  on  Barbel  I  have 
described  a  method  of  fishing  with  cheese,  which  I  can 
strongly  recommend  to  the  chub-fisher. 

If  you  fish  in  a  stream  with  a  float,  the  size  should 
be  adapted  to  the  depth  and  force  of  the  stream ;  the 
hook.  No.  8  or  9,  and  the  bait,  either  greaves,  cheese, 
paste,  gentles,  worms,  or  caddis ;  the  grub  from  a  wasp's 

M 


162  THE  BRITISH 

nest  is  also  a  killing  bait.  The  best  gronnd-bait  is  that 
made  with  soaked  greaves^  bran^  and  clay. 

The  pleasantest  way  of  fishing  for  chub  is  with  the 
artificial  fly,  for  this  fish  rises  freely,  and  is  not  very 
nice  in  the  choice  of  his  flies ;  but  I  have  generally 
found  the  red  and  black  hackle  palmers,  the  red  with 
gold,  and  the  black  mth  silver  twist,  answer  best. 

The  Marlow  buz  is  considered  a  good  fly ;  a  pea- 
cock's herl  body,  and  mallard's  wing,  will  also  answer ; 
and  whatever  fly  I  employ,  I  point  the  hook  with  a 
small  bit  of  whit-leather,  which  partly  hides  the  hook, 
and  answers  the  purpose  of  a  gentle. 

Most  of  the  osier  aits  on  the  Thames  afford  a  shelter 
for  chub,  and  by  casting  your  line  from  a  boat,  so  that 
the  flies  shall  fall  under  the  overhanging  osiers  or 
willows,  if  done  in  an  artist-like  manner,  you  cannot 
fail  to  have  sport. 

Izaak  Walton  says,  ''The  French  esteem  him  (the 
chub)  so  mean,  as  to  call  him  un  villain ;  nevertheless^ 
he  may  be  dressed  so  as  to  make  him  very  good  meat,  as 
namely,  if  he  be  a  large  chub,  then  dress  him  thus  : — 

"  First  scale  him,  and  then  wash  him  clean,  and 
then  take  out  his  guts  j  and  to  that  end  make  the  hole 
as  httle  and  as  near  his  gills  as  you  may  conveniently, 
and  especially  make  clean  his  throat  from  the  grass  and 
weeds  that  are  usually  in  it,  for  if  that  be  not  very  clean 
it  will  make  him  to  taste  very  sour ;  having  so  done, 
put  some  sweet  herbs  into  his  belly,  and  tie  him  with 


f 


€€ 


ANOLEB^S   MANUAL.  163 

two  or  three  splinters  to  the  spit,  and  roast  him,  hasted 
often  with  vinegar,  or,  rather,  verjuice  and  hutter,  with 
a  good  store  of  salt  mixed  with  it. 

Or  you  may  dress  the  chavender,  or  chub,  thus : — 
When  you  have  scaled  him,  and  cut  off  his  tail 
and  fins,  and  washed  him  very  clean,  then  chine  or  slit 
him  through  the  middle,  as  a  salt  fish  is  usually  cut ; 
then  give  him  three  or  four  cuts,  or  scotches,  on  the 
hack  with  your  knife,  and  broil  him  on  charcoal,  or 
wood  coal,  that  is  free  from  smoke,  and  all  the  time  he 
is  hroiling  baste  him  with  sweet  butter.  The  chevin 
was  thus  dressed  that  you  liked  so  well,  and  commended 
so  much ;  but,  note  again,  that  if  this  chub  that  you 
ate  of  had  been  kept  till  to-morrow,  he  had  then  not 
been  worth  a  rush.  And  remember  that  his  throat  be 
washed  very  clean — I  say  very  clean — and  his  body  not 
washed  after  he  is  gutted ;  as,  indeed,  no  fish  should 
be.^' 


THE  BREAtl. 

The  bream  ia  of  no  value  for  the  table,  as  be  is 
insipid  and  bony ;  but  as  he  breeds  rapidly,  and  grows 
to  a  large  size,  he  affords  good  sport  to  the  angler.  He 
IB  more  generally  found  in  large  pieces  of  still  water,  or 
in  canals,  than  in  rivers. 

The  Thames  and  the  Lea  produce  a  few  bream, 
where  they  sometimes  grow  to  a  lai^  size.  Id  the 
year  1835  a  gentleman  caught  one  at  Hampton,  with 
roach-tackle,  weighing  six  ponnds  and  three  quarters. 
The  Mole,  the  Medway,  and  the  Trent,  produce  them 
in  plenty;  also  Dagenham  Breach,  the  Commercial 
Docks,  Deptford,  and  the  Regent's  Canal. 

In  the  large  ponds  of  Newstead  Abbey,  formerly 
belonging  to   the  poet  Byron  (now  the  residence  of 


ANOLER^S    MANUAL.  165 

Col.  Wildman),  I  have  caught  large  bream ;  and,  not- 
withstanding the  noble  bard  chose  to  sneer  at  the 
venerable  Walton,  he  himself,  in  early  life,  frequently 
angled  in  this  water.  Some  of  the  lakes  in  Ireland 
abound  with  bream  of  a  very  large  size,  as  they  are 
sometimes  caught  of  the  weight  of  ten  or  twelve 
pounds. 

Daniel,  in  his  ^^  Rural  Sports,^'  thus  describes  a  day 
of  bream-fishing  at  New-hall  Pond,  in  Essex  : — 

''The  weather  was  cloudy,  and  the  wind  brisk; 
there  were  seven  rods  used  by  the  party,  and  very  fre- 
quently there  were  bites  at  aU  of  them  at  the  same  time. 
When  a  fish  was  hooked,  and  played  on  the  top,  or  near 
the  surface  of  the  water,  numbers  were  seen  to  follow 
him,  and  as  soon  as  the  hooks  were  fresh  baited,  they 
were  alike  greedily  taken.  The  bait  used  was  the  large 
red  worm,  and  the  spot  had  been  baited  on  the  morning 
and  evening  previous  to  the  day  of  fishing  :  the  ground- 
bait  used  was  boiled  wheat  and  taUow-melter's  greaves, 
mixed  together/' 

When  bream  is  angled  for  in  Ireland,  it  is  usual  to 
bait  the  water  a  week  or  ten  days  before  you  fish,  with 
grains,  or  other  ground-bait,  which  insures  great  sport, 
as  some  hundred  weights  are  frequently  taken  by  one 
party. 

The  bream  spawns  in  May,  and  is  best  in  season  in 
March  and  April,  and  in  autumn ;  it  is  a  very  broad 
fish,  with  large  scales ;  the  general  colour,  a  yellowish 


166  AN6LEB*S  MANUAL. 

white,  the  head  and  mouth  are  small,  the  eye  large,  the 
irides  golden  yellow. 

In  rivers  he  frequents,  like  carp  and  tench,  the  still, 
deep  holes,  or  gentle  streams,  and  quiet  retired  places. 

In  angling  for  bream,  use  nmning-tackle,  a  gut-line, 
a  light  float,  and  a  No.  10  hook ;  fish  near  the  bottom, 
and  bait  with  a  red  worm,  paste,  or  gentles.  Ground- 
bait  with  greaves  and  bran  the  day  before  you  fish,  if 
possible :  when  a  fish  bites,  he  will  frequently  throw 
the  float  flat  upon  the  water,  instead  of  drawing  it 
under ;  the  best  sport  will  be  early  in  the  morning,  or 
after  four  in  the  evening. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  this  fish,  t.  e.  the  carp- 
bream,  and  the  bream-flat,  and  this  latter  species  is 
very  abundant  in  some  parts  of  the  Biver  Cam.  It 
does  not  attain  the  size  of  the  carp-bream,  rarely  ex- 
ceeding ten  or  twelve  inches. 

The  directions  given  for  carp-fishing  will  strictly 
apply  to  the  bream  also,  and  two  or  three  rods  may  be 
used  and  attended  to  at  a  time  by  one  person. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


THE  KOACH. 


The  roach  is  a  handsome  fish,  with  a  brilliant  eye 
and  bright  silvery  scales,  but  is  of  little  estimation  for 
the  table.  It  is  in  prime  season  in  October  and  No- 
vember, when  it  is  well-fed  and  beautiful  in  colour.  If 
cooked  quite  fresh,  it  will  be  relished  by  a  hungry 
fisherman. 

[The  best  way,  however,  of  dressing  roach  is  to  bake 
them,  placing  them  in  layers  in  ui  earthen  pan  with 
salt,  pepper,  cloves,  and  bay  leaves,  and  filling  up  with 
vinegar.  When  baked  enough,  they  should  be  pressed 
with  a  weight. — Ed.] 

Roach  are  common  to  all  parts  of  Europe,  and 
abound  in  most  of  the  rivers,  ponds,  and  lakes  of  Great 
Britain.  The  Thames,  the  New  River,  and  the  Lea 
breed  them  in  great  numbers,  and  they  are  also  abun- 
dant in  most  of  the  canals  of  the  country. 


168  TU£  BRITISH 

They  spawn  in  May  or  the  beginnmg  of  June,  and 
in  the  Thames  roach-fishing  cannot  be  said  fairly  to 
commence  till  the  middle  of  September;  but  in  the 
river  Lea  the  best  roach  are  taken  in  April  and  May^ 
also  in  August  and  September.  The  former  are  fence- 
months  in  the  Thames,  when  neither  angling  nor 
netting  is  allowed.  It  is  said  that  the  roach  is  as 
foolish  as  the  ciarp  is  crafty,  and  that  it  is  easily  taken  ; 
but  I  am  convinced  that  much  skill  and  experience  are 
requisite  to  form  a  good  roach-fisher,  and  that  the 
London  anglers  have  more  dexterity  in  this  kind  of 
fishing  than  those  of  any  other  part  of  the  kingdom. 
They  who  frequent  the  river  Lea  are  particularly  adroit, 
never  using  coarser  tackle  than  a  single  hair,  with 
which  they  will  kill  a  fish  of  a  pound  weight. 

AngUng  for  roach  in  t^e  Thames  is  generaUy 
practised  in  punts,  with  fine  gut  or  hair-lines,  No.  11 
or  12  hook,  and  tip-capped  floats,  according  to  the 
depth  of  the  water ;  and  they  are  generally  caught  in 
those  parts  of  the  river  called  "  deeps,^'  which  are  pre- 
serves, granted  by  the  Corporation  of  London  for 
anglers. 

Mr.  Cheek,  tackle-maker  in  the  Strand,  manufac- 
tures a  very  convenient  light  cane-rod  for  punt-fishing ; 
it  consists  of  three  pieces,  two  of  them  going  into  the 
but-end,  thus  forming  a  light  walking-cane.  This  rod 
will  be  found  very  useful  for  roach,  dace,  and  gudgeon- 
fishing,  but  it  is  too  slight  for  barbel. 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  169 

Punts,  for  roach  and  dace-fishing,  may  be  procured 
at  Richmond,  Teddington,  Kingston,  Ditton,  Hampton, 
Shepperton,  Walton,  and  Chertsey;  and  on  the  Lea 
roach-fishing  is  practised  from  the  banks  of  the  river, 
where  roach  are  abundant,  at  aU  the  subscription  waters 
from  White  House,  Hackney  Marsh,  to  Hoddesdon. 

In  the  months  of  October  and  November,  when  the 
water  is  high,  the  best  fishing  in  the  Thames  is  from 
the  banks;  and  from  Richmond  to  Chertsey  Bridge 
there  are  many  good  swims,  especially  on  the  TroUoch, 
an  island  above  Teddington,  and  in  the  meadows  just 
beyond  Hampton.  A  light  cane-rod,  eighteen  feet 
long,  must  be  used  (and  this  may  be  had  in  great  per- 
fection of  the  maker,  Mr.  J.  Bazin,  Hackney,  where 
fine  wire  roach-hooks  may  also  be  procured),  with  a 
single-hair  line.  No.  12  h^k,  and  a  light  tip-capped 
float ;  and  your  bait  should  be  within  a  quarter  of  an 
inch  from  the  bottom.  Your  line  from  the  rod  should 
not  be  more  than  ten  or  fifteen  inches  above  the  float, 
over  which  the  point  of  your  rod  should  be  held,  so  that 
you  may  strike  quickly,  with  a  gentle  turn  of  the  wrist, 
the  moment  you  see  a  bite.  When  you  have  hooked  a 
fish,  keep  him  as  much  under  the  pomt  of  your  rod  as 
possible,  shewing  him  the  but,  and  playing  him  care- 
fully till  he  is  exhausted;  and  if  a  heavy  fish,  then  use 
your  landing-net.  Your  line  may  be  passed  through 
three  or  four  of  the  rings  of  the  rod,  by  which  you  may 
lengthen  or  shorten  it  as  the  depth  of  the  water  varies. 


170  THE  BRITISH 

In  the  river  Lea^  and  in  many  ponds^  paste  is  the 
best  bait  (to  make  which^  see  the  chapter  on  Baits)^  but 
in  the  Thames^  gentles  are  mostly  used ;  and  if  the 
water  be  coloured  by  a  fresh^  a  small  red  or  blood-worm 
will  be  a  good  bait.  When  paste  is  used^  a  short- 
shanked  wire  hook  should  be  employed^  and  a  bait 
about  the  size  of  a  pea;  the  best  ground-bait  is  that  of 
soaked  bread  and  bran^  well  kneaded  together^  made 
into  small  balls^  and^  if  fishing  in  a  stream^  a  pebble- 
stone may  be  put  into  each  of  them,  but  in  still  waters 
this  will  not  be  necessary. 

In  pond-fishing  I  should  recommend  a  single-hair 
line,  and  a  float  that  will  only  carry  two  small  shot,  as 
you  cannot  possibly  fish  too  fine,  more  especially  when 
the  water  is  clear  and  shallow.  The  common  house- 
fly is  a  good  bait  for  bottom-fishing,  and  roach  will  also 
rise  at  the  fly.  I  have  taken  them  at  Hatfield,  and  in 
other  large  pieces  of  water,  in  great  numbers,  with  the 
artificial  fly,  such  as  the  house-fly  and  small  soldier 
palmer.  The  fly  for  roach  and  dace,  and  the  mode  of 
using  it,  recommended  by  Walton,  are  so  excellent 
(though  now  but  little  practised)  that  I  shall  give  it  in 
his  own  words : — 

"  Take  the  blackest  ant-fly  out  of  the  mole-hill,  or 
ant-hill,  in  which  place  you  shall  find  them  in  the 
middle  of  June,  or,  if  that  be  too  early  in  the  year, 
then,  doubtless,  you  may  find  them  in  July,  August, 
and  most  of  the  month  of  September;    gather  them 


ANOLER^S  MANUAL.  171 

^live,  with  both  their  wings^  and  put  them  into  a  glass 
that  will  hold  a  quarts  or  pottle,  but  first  put  into  the 
glass  a  handful  or  more  of  the  moist  earth  out  of  which 
you  gather  them,  and  as  much  of  the  roots  of  the  grass 
of  the  said  hillock ;  and  then  put  in  the  flies  gently,  that 
they  lose  not  their  wings ;  lay  a  clod  of  earth  over  it, 
and  then  so  many  as  are  put  into  the  glass  without 
bruising  will  live  there  a  month,  or  more,  and  be  always 
in  readiness  for  you  to  fish  with ;  but  if  you  would 
have  them  keep  longer,  get  a  great  earthen  pot  or 
barrel,  of  three  or  four  gallons,  which  is  better.  Wash 
it  with  water  and  honey,  and,  having  put  into  it  some 
earth  and  grass  roots,  then  put  in  your  flies,  and  cover 
it,  and  they  will  keep  a  quarter  of  a  year.  These,  in 
any  stream  of  clear  water,  are  a  deadly  bait  for  roach, 
dace,  or  chub ;  and  fish,  not  less  than  a  handful,  from 
the  bottom.^' 

Large  roach  are  caught  in  the  Thames,  where  they 
have  been  taken,  from  two  to  three  pounds  weight,  and 
some  of  the  persons  who  live  on  the  banks  of  the  river 
have  a  method  of  dressing  these  roach,  which  renders 
them  very  savoury  food.  Without  scaling  the  fish,  lay 
them  on  a  gridiron,  over  a  slow  fire,  and  dredge  a  little 
flour  over  them  ;  when  they  begin  to  grow  brown, 
make  a  slit,  not  more  than  skin  deep,  from  head  to  tail, 
and  lay  them  on  again ;  when  they  are  broiled  enough, 
the  skin,  scales,  and  all  will  peel  ofi^,  and  leave  the  flesh, 
which  will  be  by  that  time  very  firm  and  white.     Open 


172  ANGLEB^S  MANUAL. 

the  belly  and  take  out  the  inside^  and  use  anchovy  and 
butter  for  sauce. 

The  roach  is  gregarious^  swimming  in  large  shoals ; 
the  colour  of  the  upper  part  of  the  head  and  back  is 
dusky  green,  with  reflexions ;  the  belly  of  silvery 
whiteness ;  the  dorsal  and  caudal  fins,  pale  brown ; 
pectoral  fins,  orange  red ;  and  the  ventral  and  anal  fins, 
bright  red. 

[Londoners  are  the  best  roach-fishers  in  England, 
and  some  of  them  are  such  eager  sportsmen  that  they 
pursue  the  sport  through  the  winter,  regardless  of  frost, 
snow,  or  rain,  and  are  very  successful,  taking  large  fish 
in  great  quantities.— En.] 


CHAPTER  XII. 


THE  DACE,  OR  r 


The  dace  is  something  like  the  roach  in  its  habits, 
but  is  more  exclusively  a  river  fish,  as  he  will  not  thrive 
in  still  waters,  and  is  rarely  found  in  ponds.  Mr. 
Yarrell  says,  "  the  dace  is  found  in  the  deep  and  clear 
water  of  great  streams;"  but  this  appears  to  me  to 
apply  to  the  roach  rather  than  the  dace,  aa,  from  ex- 
perience and  observation,  I  should  say  the  dace  delights 
in  sharp,  clear  streams,  rather  shallow  than  deep  [es- 
pecially at  the  tails  of  mill-streams].  Indeed,  in 
summer  and  autumn  vast  quantities  of  them  may  be 
found  on  shallow,  gravelly  shoals,  by  the  side  of  beds  of 
weeds,  where  they  may  be  taken  with  the  artificial  fly, 
in  great  numbers.  On  the  shoal  between  the  Duke  of 
Bnecleuch's  at  Richmond,  and  Twickenham  Ferry,  I 
have  frequently  caught  three  dace  with  my  three  flies, 
at  one  cast  of  my  line.     The  flies  I  generally  use  for 


174  THE  BRITISH 

dace  are  the  common  house-fly ;  for  the  stretcher^  the 
small  soldier  palmer ;  and  the  small  black  palmer  for 
drop  flies ;  and  these  I  point  with  a  small  bit  of 
leather^  which  answers  the  purpose  of  a  gentle,  and  will 
remain  on  the  hook  the  whole  day.  The  small  black 
gnat.  No.  18,  is  also  a  good  fly. 

The  dace  are  gregarious,  and  swim  in  great  shoals ; 
they  spawn  in  May  or  June,  and  are  in  season  from 
August  to  April.  [They  descend  the  wiers  in  the 
Thames,  after  spawning,  in  immense  quantities.— Ed.] 

The  dace  is  a  more  handsome-shaped  fish  than  the 
roach,  but  never  attains  the  same  size,  as  he  is  seldom 
above  half-a-pound  weight.  The  colour  of  the  upper 
part  of  the  head  and  back  is  bluish  green,  becoming 
paler  on  the  sides,  and  falling  into  a  shining,  silvery 
whiteness  on  the  belly;  the  irides,  pale  yellow ;  cheek 
and  gill-covers,  pinkish  white ;  dorsal  and  caudal  fins, 
pale  brown ;  pectoral,  ventral,  and  anal  fins,  yellowish 
white,  tinged  with  a  pinky  redness. 

The  same  baits  and  the  same  tackle  recommended 
for  roach-fishing  will  serve  for  dace-fishing,  with  a 
float ;  but,  as  I  have  before  observed,  the  dace  frequent 
sharper  streams. 

In  spring,  the  red  worm  and  the  caddis-worm  are 
good  baits,  and  at  all  seasons  a  small  bit  of  clear  skin 
of  greaves,  properly  scalded,  is  a  killing  bait. 

Dace  may  also  be  taken  in  the  summer  months 
with  almost  any  small  natural  fly,  by  either  using  the 


ANGLEB^S  MANUAL.  175 

blow-Kne  or  dibbing.  The  best  time  for  the  use  of  the 
artificial  fly  is  a  summer's  evening,  when  you  may  take 
fish  as  long  as  you  can  see  your  fly.  The  dace  is 
esteemed  better  food  than  the  roach,  and  may  be 
cooked,  if  large,  in  the  same  manner  as  the  latter. 
Ground-bait  with  greaves,  bran,  and  clay,  fresh  sweet 
grains,  or  with  bread  and  bran  worked  into  a  paste. 

THE  BUDD. 

Walton  calls  the  rudd  an  inferior  roach,  and  says, 
'^  there  is  a  kind  of  bastard  small  roach,  that  breeds  in 
ponds,  with  a  very  forked  tail,  and  of  a  very  small  size, 
which  some  say  is  bred  by  the  bream  and  right  roach, 
and  some  ponds  are  stored  with  these  beyond  belief,  and 
knowing  men,  that  know  the  difference,  call  them  rudds : 
they  differ  from  the  true  roach,  as  much  as  a  herring 
from  a  pilchard;  and  this  bastard  breed  of  roach  are 
now  scattered  in  many  rivers,  but  I  think  not  in  the 
Thames.'' 

Mr.  Salter,  in  his  '^  Angler's  Guide,"  says,  "  I  have 
no  doubt  but  that  the  fish  called  a  rudd  is  a  true  roach,"*^ 
but  a  little  altered  in  shape,  &c.  by  being  put  into  ponds 
not  congenial  to  their  habits  and  nature :  for  I  have 
known  ponds  stocked  with  roach  from  rivers,  and  in  a 

*  Most  certainly  not :  it  is  a  fish  sui  generis,  and  is  found  per- 
fectly distinct  in  ponds  abounding  with  roach,  bream,  and  crucian 
carp.    (See  Yarrell.) — Ed. 


176  angler's  manual. 

few  years  none  were  to  be  found  but  numerous  rudd. 
Previous  to  the  roach  being  put  into  the  same  pond^  a 
rudd  was  never  seen,  neither  were  there  any  bream. 
This  feet  I  have  witnessed  many  times,  particularly 
during  the  twenty  years  I  lived  near  Tilney  Park, 
Wanstead.  I  have  also  caught  roach  in  rivers  when 
out  of  season,  and  when  in  a  sickly  state,  extremely 
like  the  pond  rudd,  which  makes  me  conclude  that  they 
are  really  roach,  though  degenerated/' 

The  shape  of  the  rudd  is  something  between  the 
roach  and  the  bream ;  the  body  is  of  a  bronzed  coppery 
colour,  the  ventral  and  anal  fins  are  bright  vermilion^ 
and  the  irides  more  yellow  than  those  of  the  roach. 
The  rudd  is  very  indifferent  food,  being  coarse,  soft, 
and  bony,  but  he  may  afford  the  young  angler  sport 
and  practice. 

Angle  for  him  with  a  single  hair.  No.  12  hook^  a 
small  quill-float,  and  bait  with  blood-worms,  red  worms, 
gentles,  or  paste,  and  let  your  bait  nearly  touch  the 
bottom.  The  rudd  are  abundant  in  the  broads  of  Nor- 
folk, where  they  are  called  rond ;  and  in  the  Lode  and 
Cam,  in  Cambridgeshire,  and  in  Dagenham  Breach, 
they  are  very  numerous. 


S 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


The  bleak  is  an  inhabitant  of  most  of  our  British 
rivers,  and  is  found  in  great  abnndance  in  the  Thames, 
the  Lea,  and  the  New  River.  He  ib  a  brilhant,  Uvely, 
little  fish,  seldom  weighing  more  than  two  ounces,  and 
is  not  generally  esteemed  for  the  table,  though  some 
persons  prefCT  the  bleak  to  either  roach  or  dace.  I 
should  say,  the  chief  value  of  this  fish  to  the  angler,  is 
as  a  bait  for  the  pike  and  trout. 

The  bleak  affords  amusement  to  the  yotmg  angler, 
as  he  will  rise  at  any  small  fiy  that  is  offered,  and 
appears  sporting  at  the  top  of  the  water  for  a  long 
summer's  day.  Mr.  Jesse  says,  "  But  of  all  the  fish 
confined  in  a  vivarium  in  Bushy  Park,  the  bleak  were 
the  most  amusing  and  playful.  Then;  activity  could 
not  be  exceeded ;  and  it  gave  me  much  pleasure  to  see 


178 


ANGLER'S  MANUAL. 


them,  on  a  still  summer's  evening,  dart  at  every  little 
fly  that  settled  on  the  water  near  them,  appearing 
always  restless,  yet  always  happy/' 

This  fish  is  troubled  with  a  worm  in  the  intestines^ 
which  causes  it  to  skim  on  the  surface  of  the  water  in  a 
curious  manner ;  when  in  this  state,  it  is  called  by  the 
fishermen  a  mad  bleak.  In  angling  for  bleak  with  a 
float,  use  one  that  will  carry  two  or  three  small  shot,  a 
hair  line,  and  a  No.  12  or  13  hook ;  bait  with  a  single 
gentle,  and  fish  at  midwater. 

The  common  house-fly  may  be  used  with  a  line  a 
little  longer  than  the  rod,  which  may  be  thrown  gently, 
or  carried  out  by  the  wind ;  or  a  gentle  may  be  used  in 
this  manner^  instead  of  the  fly ;  these  are  sure  modes  of 
taking  bleak :  or  the  young  angler  may  try  his  hand 
with  the  artificial  fly,  using  three  or  four  on  a  fine  gut 
bottom,  of  the  smallest  size  he  can  select,  pointing  each 
fly  with  a  very  small  piece  of  whit-leather. 

The  bleak  is  a  bright,  handsome,  well-shaped  fish ; 
his  back  is  of  a  shining,  bluish  green ;  his  sides  green^ 
ish  white  ;  and  his  belly  of  the  most  silvery  whiteness  ; 
the  irides,  silver ;  and  all  the  fins  nearly  white. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


THK  aUDQION. 


The  gudgeon  is  a  sweet,  well-flavoured  fish ;  aod  is 
conBidered  very  wholesome  food,  and  easy  of  d^stion ; 
it  is  found  in  most  of  the  British  rivers,  and  in  many 
of  the  canals.  It  will  live  and  thrive  in  ponds  where  a 
small  run  of  water  passes  through  them ;  and  delights 
in  shallow  scowers,  and  gentle  streams  with  gravelly 


Gudgeons  are  gr^arious,  swimming  in  great  ahoak, 
feeding  on  worms  and  aquatic  insects ;  they  are  seldom 
taken  exceeding  seven  inches  in  length ;  and  the  best 
and  largest  are  caught  in  the  Thames  and  the  Lea, 
where  they  arc  very  numerous,*  affording  the  young 

*  Thejr  are  also  fonnd  in  great  nnmberB  in  lonie  parts  of  the  New 
RiTST.  Wi&  a  patemoiter  lioe,  and  the  uiiatance  of  the  nice,  the 
writer  has  seen  aereral  hundred  gudgeons  token  Bt  one  Btanding  in  the 
couree  of  a  few  hoars.  A.  gravelljr  Bcower  near  Highbnrr  used  to  yield 
good  sport. — En. 


180  THE  BRITISH 

angler  excellent  pastime^  as  they  are  bold  biting^  leather- 
mouthed  fish^  and  seldom  break  their  hold.  The  best 
gudgeon-fishing  is  from  a  punt  in  the  Thames^  at  any  of 
the  villages  where  a  proper  scower  can  be  found,  from 
Teddington  to  Windsor. 

A  heavy  iron  rake  is  used  to  stir  the  ground  at  the 
bottom  of  the  water,  which  draws  the  gudgeons  to  the 
spot  in  search  of  food ;  a  light  cane  rod,  a  float  suitable 
to  the  stream,  a  hair  line,  and  a  hook  No  10  or  11, 
baited  with  a  small  red  worm,  or  part  of  one,  must  be  pro- 
vided ;  then  plumb  the  depth  exactly,  and  let  your  bait 
just  drag  the  ground;  and  remember  not  to  strike  so 
soon  as  in  roach-fishing,  but  wait  till  the  cap  of  your 
float  is  under  water,  when  a  gentle  twist  of  the  hand  will 
hook  him.  Half  an  hour  will  generally  be  long  enough 
to  remain  in  one  place,  as  the  gudgeons  soon  become 
thinned;  for,  in  that  short  time,  two  persons  will  fre- 
quently take  from  three  to  four  dozen.  In  the  course 
of  a  day's  fishing,  you  will  sometimes  have  occasion  to 
take  a  dozen  different  positions  with  your  punt;  but  the 
removal  from  one  part  to  another,  particularly  at  Hamp- 
ton, is  an  agreeable  change,  as  the  scenery  is  varied  and 
beautiful. 

The  Surrey  side  of  the  Thames  has  its  sloping  banks 
bordered  with  a  great  variety  of  aquatic  and  other 
plants ;  and  flowers,  such  as  the  convolvulus  or  bind- 
weed, British  geranium,  the  marsh-mallow  with  its 
purple  blossoms,  the  graceful  burdock   (superior  to 


angler's  manual.  181 

the  classic  acanthus)^  broad-leaved  colt*s  foot^  the 
''long  purples"  of  poor  Ophelia,  intermixed  with  small, 
starry  flowers  of  all  colours,  enamel  the  ground.  Be- 
yond the  banks  of  the  river  are  rich  fields  of  com  and 
pasture  land,  bounded  by  the  woody  slopes  of  Rich- 
mond Park;  affording  glimpses  of  its  peculiar  beauties; 
whilst  on  the  opposite,  or  Middlesex  shore,  is  seen  the 
picturesque  village  of  Hampton,  with  its  stately  elms 
and  handsome  church  reflected  on  the  tranquil  bosom  of 
the  Thames.  On  this  side,  the  punt-fishers  may  find  a 
snug  retreat  under  the  willows,  or  in  the  meadows,  at 
noon,  when  the  fish  are  least  inclined  to  feed,  where  they 
may  feed  themselves,  if  they  have  been  provident  enough 
to  bring  eatables  with  them.  I  am  not  ashamed  to  own, 
that,  although  I  have  for  many  years  enjoyed  the  higher 
excitement  of  trout  and  salmon-fishing,  I  can  find  much 
pleasure  in  taking  a  young  friend  with  me  for  a  day's 
gudgeon-fishing  at  Hampton,  and  partaking,  in  the 
intervals  of  sport,  of  a  meat-pie  and  a  bottle  of  sherry, 
with  an  appetite  earned  by  exercise,  and  an  eye  alive  to 
all  the  beauties  which  surround  me. 

In  the  river  Lea,  finer  tackle  is  used  than  in  the 
Thames;  i.e.  a  single  hair,  and  a  No.  12  hook,  baited 
with  blood-worms :  the  same  mode  is  also  employed  in 
the  New  River,  which  is  a  great  place  of  resort  for 
young  London  anglers,  where  they  generally  first 
practise  and  gain  a  love  of  their  art. 

The  colour  of  the  upper  part  of  the  gudgeon's  head 


182  angler's  manual. 

and  back  is  olive  brown;  the  sides  of  bloish^  silvery^ 
brightness;  and  the  belly^  pearly  white;  pectoral^  yen- 
tral,  and  anal  fins^  a  pinky  white ;  dorsal  fin  and  tail, 
pale  olive  brown,  spotted  with  dark  ohve. 

The  gadgeon  has  two  barbs ;  the  body  is  thick,  and 
somewhat  cylindrical.  They  spawn  in  May,  and  are 
very  prolific ;  some  persons  bdieve  that  they  spawn  two 
or  three  times  in  the  course  of  the  summer. 

Having  been  speaking  of  Hampton,  I  have,  in  this 
place,  introduced  a  view  of  that  quiet  village :  in  the 
middle  of  the  picture  is  the  deep,  opposite  to  Gmrrick's 
summer-house. 

[Here,  also,  is  the  comfortable  Bell  Inn,  where  so 
many  pleasant  meetings  took  place  of  the  Walton  and 
Cotton  Fishing  Club,  enlivened  as  they  were  by  some  of 
the  best  anglers  of  the  day.  These  times  are  gone  by, 
but  they  have  left  pleasing  recollections  behind. — ^En.] 


1 


r 


^ 


CHAPTER  XV. 


The  common  eel  U  too  well  known  to  require 
toinate  deBCriptioo ;  its  serpent-like  form  has  rendered 
it  an  object  of  aversion  to  the  natives  of  some  countries; 
and  I  have  myself  witnessed  a  strong  prejudice  against 
it  in  the  Highlands  of  Scotland.  Having  caught  a  fine 
silver  eel,  in  Loch  Taj,  of  about  a  pound  and  a  half 
weight,  I  found  much  difSculty  in  persuading  any  of 
,  Mr.  Cameron's  servants,  at  Killin,  to  cook  it  for  me : 
they  called  it  a  "fou  sarepent  thing;"  and  I  quite  lost 
my  character  by  eating  of  it, 


184  THE  BRITISH 

The  eel  is  found  in  most  temperate  latitudes  of  the 
world ;  in  rivers^  lakes^  ponds^  and  even  salt  marshes ; 
and  is  in  general  estimation  as  an  article  of  food^  being 
considered  yoy  nutritions^  bnt  not  easy  of  digestion. 
The  lower  jaw  ia  longer  than  the  upper ;  the  body^  olive 
brown ;  the  colour  of  the  belly  depends  on  the  nature 
of  the  water ;  some  being  of  a  golden  yellow,  and 
others  of  the  most  silvery  whitenes^,  in  which  case 
they  are  called  ''  silver  eels/' 

The  eel  is  very  tenacious  of  life,  and  will  live  longer 
out  of  the  water  than  any  other  fish :  it  has  been  consi- 
dered,  by  most  authors,  viviparous ;  and  some  have 
said  that  it  produces  its  young  at  the  latter  end  of  sum- 
mer, and  that  both  eggs  and  ready  formed  young  are 
occasionally  observed  in  the  same  individual.  But  I  am 
disposed  to  yield  to  Mr.  Yarrell's  decision,  who  thinks 
this  opinion  a  mistake,  which  has  arisen  from  the  nu- 
merous small  worms  that  sometimes  infest  the  intestines 
of  eels ;  and  he  adds,  *'  that  the  enormous  number  of 
young  known  to  be  produced  by  eels,  is  a  negative  proof 
that  they  are  oviparous ;  viviparous  fishes  producing,  on 
the  contrary,  but  few  young  at  a  time ;  and  those,  too, 
of  considerable  size  when  first  excluded.  Having 
devoted  time  and  attention  to  the  close  examination  of 
numbers  of  eels,  for  many  months  in  succession,  the  for- 
ther  details  of  which  will  be  found  in  Mr.  Jesse's  second 
series  of  ^  Gleanings  in  Natural  History,'  I  need  only 
here  repeat  my  belief,  that  eels  are  oviparous,  producing 


angler's  manual.  185 

their  young  like  other  true  bony  fishes/'  Dr.  Mitchell 
of  New  York,  says,  '^  the  roes,  or  ovaria  of  eels,  may  be 
seen  by  those  who  look  for  them,  in  the  proper  season, 
like  those  of  other  fishes.''  It  is  probable  that  they 
spawn  in  April  or  May ;  they  are  of  very  slow  growth, 
but  in  some  waters  attain  a  very  large  size.  I  have 
heard  of  their  being  caught  of  the  weight  of  twenty-five 
pounds ;  and  have  myself  seen  one  taken  with  a  trim- 
mer, in  Derwentwater,  that  weighed  six  pounds. 

With  respect  to  the  migration  of  eels,  Mr.  Yarrell 
says,  "  both  the  parent  eels  and  the  fry,  occupying 
brackish  water,  appear  to  have  the  power  of  going  into 
the  salt  water,  or  the  fresh,  without  inconvenience,  from 
the  previous  preparation  which  the  respiratory  organs 
have  undergone ;  and  many  of  both  are  found  in  pure  sea 
water :  the  great  bulk  of  the  young,  certainly,  ascend 
the  stream  of  the  river,  and  their  annual  appearance, 
in  certain  places,  is  looked  for  with  some  interest." 

The  passage  of  young  eels  up  the  Thames,  at  King- 
ston, in  the  year  1832,  commenced  April  80th,  and 
lasted  till  the  4th  of  May;  but  I  beUeve  I  am  correct 
in  stating,  that  few  young  eels  were  observed  to  pass  up 
that  river  either  in  1834  or  1885.  Some  notion  may 
be  formed  of  the  quantity  of  young  eels  (each  about 
three  inches  long)  that  pass  up  the  Thames  in  spring, 
and  in  other  rivers  in  the  beginning  of  summer,  from  the 
circumstance  that  '^  it  was  calculated,  by  two  observers 
of  the  progress  of  the  young  eels,  at  Kingston,  in  1832, 


186  THE  BRITISH 

that  £rom  sixteen  to  eighteen  hundred  passed  a  given 
point  in  one  minute  of  time.*' 

Mr.  Yarrell  says^  ^^  there  is  no  doubt  eek  occa- 
sionally quit  the  water;  and^  where  grass  meadows  are 
wet  from  dew^  or  other  causes^  travel  during  the  night 
over  the  moist  surface^  in  search  of  frogs^  worms^  and 
other  suitable  food^  or  to  change  their  situations/' 

The  eel  is  a  voracious  feeder^  and  destroys  great 
quantities  of  the  spawn  and  fry  of  other  fishes :  he  also 
Ls  upon  the  Jdgeon  andLmow,  aquatic  insects, 
and  almost  any  kind  of  animal  substance  he  can  find. 

This  fish  is  very  susceptible  of  cold,  and  is  said  to 
bury  himself,  during  the  winter  months,  in  mud.  They 
are  not  met  with  in  the  waters  of  the  arctic  regions.  Sir 
Francis  Bacon  says,  "  the  life  of  the  eel  does  not  exceed 
ten  years ;"  but  it  was  observed,  in  the  fish-ponds  of 
Caesar,  to  live  sixty  years,  and  to  become  extremely 
tame.  The  Romans  did  not  consider  the  eel  a  dainty; 
but  in  the  early  part  of  English  history  we  find  it 
esteemed  a  great  rarity.  William  deAilsbury  was  invested 
with  certain  lands  in  Bucks,  by  William  the  Conqueror, 
under  the  singular  tenure  of  providing  straw  for  his  bed- 
chamber, and  three  eels  for  his  use,  in  summer  and  win- 
ter; straw  rushes,  and  two  green  geese,  thrice  every 
year,  if  he  should  visit  Aylesbury  so  often.  Becket, 
about  the  year  1160,  gave  five  pounds  (nearly  equal  to 
fifty  pounds  of  our  present  money)  for  a  single  dish  of 
eels. 


angler's  manual.  187 

There  is  a  variety  of  this  fish  known  in  the  Thames 
by  the  name  of  grigs^  and  about  Oxford^  by  that  of 
gluts  or  grigs ;  they  are  much  smaller  than  the  common 
eelj  and  are  sometimes  taken  in  great  numbers. 

To  angle  for  eels,  use  a  strong  gut  line,  with  a  light 
float,  and  No.  9  hook,  and  bait  with  a  large  red  worm ; 
or,  use  a  No.  6  hook,  and  bait  with  a  marsh-worm,  and 
let  your  bait  touch  the  bottom :  but  the  most  alluring 
bait  I  know  of  for  an  eel  is  salmon  roe ;  and  when  fish- 
ing for  trout  with  this  bait  the  angler  will  frequently 
take  eels,  much  to  his  annoyance,  if,  like  myself,  he 
detests  their  dirty  slime  and  serpent-like  writhings.  I 
shall  say  nothing  of  bobbing  for  eels,  or  of  sniggling,  as 
they  are  practices  below  the  angler;  but  as  the  largest 
eels  are  caught  by  night-lines,  and  this  method  is  a 
necessary  resort  for  the  supply  of  the  table,  I  shall  give 
the  instructions  of  Daniel  on  this  point. 

"  It  is  of  little  consequence  where  they  (t.  e.  night- 
lines)  are  laid,  as  they  will  succeed  in  streams,  when  the 
eels  are  in  search  of  food,  as  well  as  in  the  still,  deep 
holes  of  rivers;  and  they  will  take  frogs,  black  snails, 
worms,  roach,  dace,  gudgeons,  minnows  (which  two  last 
are  the  best),  loaches,  bleaks,  and  miller's  thumbs;  a 
sufficient  quantity  of  links,  of  twelve  hairs,  should  be 
doubled  (or  use  twisted  gut),  and  a  hook  tied  to  each 
link ;  these  are  to  be  noosed,  at  proper  distances,  to 
pieces  of  cord  of  fifteen  feet  long;  bait  the  hooks,  by 
making  an  incision  with  the  baiting-needle  under  the 


188  THE  BRITISH 

shoulder,  and  thnistmg  it  out  at  the  middle  of  the  tail, 
drawing  the  link  after  it ;  the  point  of  the  hook  should 
be  npright  towards  the  baek  of  the  bait-fish ;  fasten  one 
end  to  the  bank,  or  a  stab,  and  cast  the  other  into  the 
water,  but  not  to  the  extent  of  the  line,  as  eels  will  run 
a  little  before  they  gorge ;  the  lines  should  be  taken  up 
early  in  the  morning ;  such  of  the  lines  as  have  eels  at 
them  will  be  drawn  very  tight.  Dark  nights  in  July, 
August,  and  September,  are  the  best  for  this  kind  of 
fishing/' 

Hooks  proper  for  this  method  of  taking  eels  may  be 
purchased,  either  double  or  single,  and  are  called  eel- 
hooks.  When  a  double  hook  is  used,  I  should  say  the 
following  mode  of  baiting  is  better  than  Mr.  DanieFs. 
With  a  baiting-needle,  enter  the  point  at  the  fish's 
mouth,  and  bring  it  out  at  the  tail,  letting  the  two  hooks 
lie  close  to  the  mouth  of  the  bait,  as  described  in  bait- 
ing the  gorge-hook  for  trolling. 

Trimmers  baited  with  a  live  gudgeon  are  sure  to  be 
taken  by  eels.  The  wire  to  which  hooks  are  fixed 
should  be  strong  and  well  tempered,  as  the  eel  struggles 
hard  to  firee  himself.  Very  large  eels  are  caught  in  the 
lakes  of  Cumberland  and  Westmoreland  by  trimmers, 
baited  with  small  trout,  or  perch  (there  called  bass), 
with  the  back  fin  cut  off.  On  Derwentwater  (Keswick 
lake),  it  is  a  common  practice  for  parties  to  engage  a 
fisherman,  who  provides  twenty  or  thirty  trimmers;  the 
lops  being  painted  bright  red  and  white,  that  they  may 


angler's  manual.  189 

be  seen  at  a  distance.  The  party  should  be  in  the  boat 
by  four  o  clock,  a.m.,  at  the  latest ;  the  fisherman  then 
baits  the  trimmers  with  live  bass,  small  trout,  or  min- 
nows, and  places  them  at  equal  distances  across  the  lake, 
spreading  to  the  extent  of  from  half  to  three-quarters  of 
a  mile ;  and  if  there  are  two  or  three  boats  belonging  to 
the  party,  and  the  pike  and  eels  are  on  the  feed,  the 
great  division  is  to  see  the  trimmers  carried  off  by  fish, 
in  different  directions  at  the  same  time,  when  all  be- 
comes animation  and  exertion  in  the  different  boats ;  all 
rowing  towards  the  trimmers,  and  eager  to  seise  on  their 
prey ;  and  very  large  pike  and  eels  are  often  caught  in 
this  manner. 

In  the  lake  of  Ulswater,  where  the  eels  are  very  fine 
and  silvery,  they  are  frequently  taken  by  spearing;  for 
this  purpose  the  water  must  be  perfectly  calm,  so  that 
the  eels  may  be  seen  at  the  bottom,  at  the  depth  of  from 
three  to  six  feet.  The  spear  must  have  a  long  handle, 
and  when  a  fish  is  seen  it  must  be  struck  with  great 
force  and  quickness;  the  spearing-ground  generally 
chosen  is  a  soft,  sandy,  or  grassy  bottom,  where  the 
spear  will  easily  penetrate.  The  last  time  I  fished  on 
Ulswater,  in  1837,  the  boatman,  Tom  Watts,  an  old  ac- 
quaintance of  mine,  who  rows  with  the  strength  of  a 
giant,  and  knows  every  bay  where  a  trout  can  be  taken, 
took  an  eel-spear  with  him,  and  as  the  lake  was  dead 
calm  when  we  reached  Ramsbeck  (the  beautiful  seat  of 
J.  Stag,  Esq.),  we  saw  the  eels  at  the  bottom,  by  stoop- 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


Ths  pope  IB  very  like  a  BmatI  perch,  but  with  a 
curiously  formed  single  dorsal  fin ;  the  coloar  of  the 
back  is  &  dusky  olive  green ;  the  sides  l^ht  brownish 
green  and  copper  colour ;  and  small  brown  spots  are 
spread  over  the  dorsal  fin,  the  back,  and  tail.  The 
pectoral,  ventral,  and  anal  fins  are  pale  brown.  Hiis 
fiah  rarely  exceeds  six  inches  in  length ;  but  it  is  nearly 
as  good  aa  a  perch  of  the  same  size ;  and  its  halnts  and 
haunts  are  also  like  those  of  the  perch :  it  spawns  in 
April,  and  feeds  on  small  fry,  worms,  or  aquatic 
insects. 


angler's  manual.  193 

The  pope  is  common  to  most  of  the  rivers  and 
canals  of  England ;  it  is  gregarious^  and  many  dozens 
are  frequently  caught  in  one  spot.  Angle  for  him 
with  a  small  red  worm^  and  he  will  seldom  refuse  the 
bait :  as  his  haunts  are  those  of  the  jack  and  perch^ 
Provideoce  seems  to  have  armed  him  with  a  formidable 
dorsal  fin  to  protect  him  from  their  attacks. 

Great  numbers  of  these  fish  are  caught  a  little  above 
Teddington  lock,  and  in  the  river  Mole ;  they  are  also 
abundant  in  the  Trent,  the  Isis,  the  Cam,  and  the 
Yare. 

THE  FLOUNDER. 

The  flounder  is  rarely  found  but  in  waters  having  a 
communication  with  the  sea ;  those  caught  in  the  Thames 
are  very  superior  to  sea  flounders.  Mr.  Yarrell  says, 
"  they  have  been  successfiiliy  transferred  to  fresh- water 
ponds ;  being  long-lived  out  of  water,  the  carriage  from 
one  place  to  another  is  a  matter  of  little  difficulty.^^ 

The  flounder  lives  upon  insects,  worms,  and  small 
fry,  and  has  been  known  to  attain  the  weight  of  four 
pounds;  but  the  general  weight  of  the  Chiswick  and 
Hammersmith  flounder  seldom  exceeds  six  ounces. 
These  two  villages  have  been  long  celebrated  for  the 
excellence  of  the  flounders  caught  in  this  part  of  the 
Thames.  They  spawn  in  February  or  March,  and  are 
considered  sweet  and  wholesome  food,  being  very  easy 
of  digestion. 

o 


194  TH£  BRITISH 

The  back  of  the  flounder  is  generally  a  dark  and 
light  mottled  olive,  dotted  with  bright  red  spots;  and 
the  belly  white.  The  body  is  broad  and  flat ;  the  mouth 
small ;  the  dorsal  fin  extends  from  the  eye,  almost  to 
the  tail ;  the  fleshy  part  of  which  is  narrow,  and  its 
rays  elongated,  and  almost  square  at  the  end. 

The  flounder  is  taken  with  the  worm,  and  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  eel ;  either  with  night-lines  or  float- 
fishing  ;  and  when  fishing  for  one,  either  in  the  Thames 
or  the  Docks,  you  frequently  take  the  other.  These 
fish  may  be  had  in  great  perfection  at  the  inns  at 
Greenwich,  Putney,  and  Hammersmith,  where  thqr 
frequently  accompany  a  dish  of  stewed  eels;  all  of 
which  are  taken  alive  out  of  the  well  of  a  boat  imme- 
diately before  they  are  dressed. 

THE  SMELT. 

The  smelt  is  in  much  greater  estimation  with  the 
epicure  than  the  angler ;  by  the  one  it  is  considered  a 
delicacy,  by  the  other  as  little  worthy  of  notice. 

The  form  of  the  body  is  long  and  slender;  the 
colour  of  the  back  a  pale  green ;  and  the  belly  of  a 
silvery  whiteness ;  the  scales  are  oval  and  small ;  and 
the  fins  are  all  of  a  yellowish  white. 

Smelts  are  remarkable  for  their  pleasant  and  pe^ 
culiar  smell.  They  spawn  in  March  or  April,  and  in- 
habit the  fresh  water  from  August  to  May.  After 
spawning,  they  return  for  a  time  to  the  sea.    They  feed 


angler's  manual.  195 

upon  insects  and  small  fry^  and  are  very  fond  of  the 
shrimp;  they  seldom  exceed  seven  or  eight  inches  in 
length. 

The  best  places  to  angle  for  smelts^  near  London^ 
are  in  the  canal  that  runs  from  Limehouse-hole  to 
Blackwall^  through  the  Isle  of  Dogs ;  they  are  jalso  to 
be  met  with  in  all  the  wet  docks  below  London  Bridge : 
they  are  sometimes  angled  for  with  a  paternoster^  as  in 
perch-fishings  baited  with  live  shrimps^  or  a  small  piece 
of  eel  or  smelt. 

If  you  angle  with  a  floaty  use  a  large  one  that  will 
carry  many  shot ;  and  have  a  strong  line^  on  which  is 
placed  six  or  eight  hooks^  No.  9^  about  nine  or  ten 
inches  apart ;  the  bottom  hook  should  touch  the  ground ; 
the  whole  baited  as  above. 

Smelts  are  generally  taken  in  deep  water^  3uch 
as  the  Docks;  you  may  fish  for  them  from  July 
to  December,  and  you  cannot  be  too  early  to  ensure 
success.* 

THE  LOACH. 

The  loach,  or  stone  loach,  as  it  is  sometimes  called, 
from  its  habits  of  secreting  itself  under  stones,  is  a  very 
small  round-bodied  fish,  with  six  wattles  about  the 
mouth,  and  is  without  scales. 

*  In  the  river  Medway,  fishermen  sometimes  take  pike  in  a  shoal 
of  smelts.    They  are  excellent  eating. — Ed. 


196  THE  BRITISH 

The  head^  body^  and  sides  are  spotted  with  dark 
brown,  on  a  pale  olive  ground ;  the  belly  a  yellowish 
white ;  and  all  the  fins  spotted  with  dark  brown  :  they 
seldom  exceed  four  inches  in  length,  bat  are  said  to  be 
delicate  eating,  if  cooked  when  very  fresh. 

The  loach  spawns  in  spring,  and  feeds  on  aquatic 
insects,  worms,  &c.,  and  is  foimd  in  shallow  brooks, 
and  clear  gravelly  bottomed  streams.  Mr.  Yarrell  says, 
^'  the  flesh  is  accounted  excellent ;  and  in  some  parts  of 
Europe  these  little  fishes  are  in  such  high  estimation 
for  their  exquisite  delicacy  and  flavour,  that  they  are 
transported,  with  considerable  trouble,  from  the  rivers 
they  naturally  inhabit  to  waters  contiguous  to  the 
wealthy.  Linnaeus '^siays,  in  his  Fauna  Stiecica,  that 
Frederick  I.,  king  of  Swe&en,  had  them  brought  from 
Germany,  and  naturalized  in  his  own  country.'^ 

They  may  be  taken  in  the  same  manner  as  the  min^ 
now,  with  a  No.  13  hook,  baited  with  the  tail-end  of  a 
red  worm,  without  a  float.  The  loach  is  a  good  bait  for 
eels,  and  is  often  used  to  bait  night-lines. 


ANGLER  B  MANUAL. 


THE  MINNOW,  OR  PINK. 

This  beautifully  marked  and  perfectly  formed  little 
animal  is  one  of  the  smallest  of  our  British  fresh-water 
iishesj  it  seldom  exceeds  three  inches  in  length.  It 
abounds  in  most  of  our  rivers,  lake^,  brooks,  and  canals, 
and  I  do  not  recollect  a  trout-stream  without  minnows ; 
but  I  cannot  assert  that  this  is  always  the  catle.  Their 
great  value  to  the  angler  is  as  a  bait  for  trout,  perch, 
chub,  and  jack ;  and  for  the  modes  of  baiting  with  them 
see  page  70. 

They  are  generally  taken  for  this  purpose  with 
minnow-nets,  purchased  at  the  tackle-shops ;  or  they 
may  be  caught  with  a  hook  No.  13,  and  a  small  piece 
of  red  worm ;  or  with  a  single  gentle,  either  with  or 
without  a  doat. 

The  minnow  spawns  in  June,  and  is  very  proliHc ; 
the  top  of  the  head  and  the  back  are  a  dark  olive  green ; 
the  aidea  of  a  mottled  golden  hue;  and  the  belly 
shining  with  gold  and  silver,  and  of  a  pearly  whiteness ; 


198  THE  BRITISH 

dorsal  fins  pale  brown ;  pectoral^  ventral^  and  anal  fins 
lighter ;  the  tail^  light  brown^  with  a  dark  brown  spot 
at  the  base  of  the  caudal  fin* 

The  minnow  is  said  to  be  very  delicate  food,  when  a 
sufficient  number  can  be  procured  to  make  a  fry ;  which 
may  be  done  by  using  a  smaU  meshed  casting-net. 

THE  STICKLEBACK. 

This,  the  smallest  of  British  fishes,  receives  its  name 
from  the  sharp  spines,  or  prickles,  on  its  back,  and  is  an 
inhabitant  of  salt  as  well  as  fresh  water.  They  breed  in 
immense  quantities  in  almost  every  ditch  and  pond; 
and  they  are  so  numerous  in  some  parts  of  Lincolnshire, 
that  they  are  used  as  a  manure.  Pennant  says,  that  '^  a 
man  employed  by  a  farmer  has  earned  four  shillings  a- 
day  for  a  considerable  time,  by  selling  them  at  a  half- 
penny a  bushel.'^ 

The  common  stickleback  has  three  sharp  spines  on 
the  back,  and  is  rarely  more  than  two  inches  and  a  half 
long ;  the  gills  and  abdomen  are  of  a  bright  brown ;  the 
back  olive  green ;  and  the  sides  silvery.  The  male  is  a 
most  greedy  and  pugnacious  fish,  and  will  attack  his 
own  kind  with  the  greatest  ferocity.  They  spawn  in; 
April  and  May,  and  live  on  the  spawn  of  other  fishes, 
worms,  and  aquatic  insects ;  and  may  be  taken  with  a 
No.  13  hook,  baited  with  a  bit  of  red  worm ;  and  if  the 
back  spines  are  cut  away  may  serve,  for  want  of  a 
minnow,  as  a  bait  for  a  perch  or  trout. 


i 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  199 

THE  BULL-HEAD^  OR  MILLER^S  THUMB. 

^e  bull-head  inhabits  the  clear  rivers  and  brooks 
of  Europe,  generally  lying  on  the  gravel,  or  concealing 
itself  beneath  stones,  and  preying  on  worms,  water  in- 
sects^ and  very  young  fry.  It  deposits  its  spawn  in 
March  or  April.  It  seldom  exceeds  three  and  a  half 
inches  in  length.  It  is  of  a  yellow  olive  colour ;  has  a 
large  head,  shppery  skin,  and  tapers  to  the  tail :  it  is 
most  readily  taken  in  the  night ;  and  its  flesh  grows 
red  by  boiling,  and  is  esteemed  good  and  wholesome. 
The  New  River  aboimds  with  bull-heads;  and  Mr. 
Salter  says,  "  I  have  known  more  than  seven  dozen 
taken  in  a  day  out  of  the  river  near  Ware/^ 

Fish  with  a  No.  13  hook,  without  float,  baited  with 
a  small  piece  of  red  worm,  and  they  will  bite  freely ; 
they  are  sometimes  used,  for  want  of  minnows  or 
gudgeons,  to  bait  night-lines  for  eels. 

[The  bull-head,  and  to  its  credit  it  is  recorded,  seems 
to  be  the  only  fish  which  appears  to  shew  any  affection 
for  its  oflspring.  After  depositing  its  spawn  in  a  hole 
in  the  gravel,  it  remains  and  watches  near  the  spot  till 
the  ovse  are  hatched,  and  then  keeps  near  the  young 
fry.  Such  is  the  assertion  of  some  old  fishermen. — 
Ed.] 


CHAPTER    XVI 


ARTIFICIAL  PLIES. 


A  COMPLETE  fly-iisher  will  make  his  own  &es,  and 
will  find  much  amusement  in  the  practice  of  this  de- 
licate art.  It  will  be  neccssaxy  that  he  should  pro- 
vide himself  with  the  following  materials,  to  enable  him 
to  imitate  the  flics  hereafter  described. 


London,  Kirby-sneclt,  and  Limerick  hooks,  of  all 
sizes.  Of  these,  the  Limerick  hook  is  in  the  greatest 
general  estimation  ;  but  in  the  north  of  England  the 
Kirby-sneck  hook  is  preferred  for  small  hackle-flies. 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  201 


FEATHERS. 

Cocks'  and  hens'  hackles^  of  all  colours ;  those 
chiefly  in  use  are  red^  ginger^  coch-a-bonddu^  blacky 
dun^  olive^  grizzle^  and  white :  the  latter  for  dying 
yellow,  &c. 

Peacock's  herl,  coppery  coloured,  green,  and  brown. 

Black  ostrich's  herl. 

Gallino  fowls'  spotted  feathers. 

The  feathers  of  the  turkey,  the  grouse,  ptarmigan, 
pheasant  (cock  and  hen),  woodcock,  snipe,  dotteril, 
landrail,  starhng,  golden-plover  or  peewit,  wild  mallard, 
bustard,  sea  swallow,  wren,  jay,  blackbird,  throstle,  blue 
pigeon,  argus  and  silver  pheasant. 

Water-rat's  fur,  mole's  fur,  and  hare's  ear. 

Mohair,  dyed,  of  aU  colours. 

Fine  French  sewing  silk,  of  all  colours. 

Flos  silk,  of  all  colours. 

German  wool,  of  all  colours. 

Gold  and  silver  twist. 

Silk  twist ;  cobblers'  and  bees'  wax. 

A  pair  of  pliers,  a  pair  of  fine-pointed  scissors,  a 
small  hand  slide-vice,  and  a  fine-pointed  strong  dubbing- 
needle. 

Silkworm  gut,  from  the  finest  to  the  strongest,  and 
salmon  gut,  single  and  twisted. 

Lengths  of  the  white  and  sorrel  hairs  of  stallions' 
tails. 


202  THE  BRITISH 


HOW  TO.MAKE  AN  ARTIFICIAL  FLY. 

It  has  been  said  by  some  writers^  that  all  instrac- 
tions  for  making  flies  are  useless,  and  that  nothing  less 
than  ocular  demonstration  will  be  of  any  service;  yet  I 
cannot  but  think  that  the  following  directions,  for  which 
I  am  indebted  to  my  friend.  Captain  Richardson,  are  so 
simple  and  clear,  that  strict  attention  to  them,  and  a 
little  practice,  will  enable  the  tyro  to  produce  a  tolerably 
well-made  fly. 

There  are  several  modes  adopted  in  making  the  ar- 
tificial fly;  one  is,  to  tie  the  wings  on  to  the  hook  in 
the  natural  position  in  the  first  instance;  another 
method  is,  to  place  the  feathers  for  the  wings  in  a 
reverse  position  in  the  first  instance,  and  naturally 
afterwards ;  and  the  third  and  last  way  is,  to  tie  the 
wings  on  the  hook  after  the  body  is  made,  instead  of 
beginning  the  fly  with  them. 

The  most  expeditious  way  to  complete  a  number  of 
flies  is,  to  have  every  necessary  material  arranged  im- 
mediately under  your  eye,  and  every  article  separate 
and  distinct ;  all  the  hooks,  gut,  or  hair,  wings,  hackles, 
dubbing,  silk,  and  wax,  ready  assorted,  and  prepared  for 
instant  use.  The  hooks  require  to  be  sized  for  your  dif- 
ferent flies ;  the  gut  requires  the  most  careful  examina- 
tion and  adjustment ;  the  hackles  have  to  be  stripped, 
and  the  dubbing  to  be  well  mixed;  the  silk  assorted, 
and  to  be  of  the  finest  texture ;  and  the  wings  to  be  tied 


angler's  manual.  203 

the  length  of  the  hook  they  are  to  be  fastened  to^  in 
order  that  the  fibres  of  the  feather  may  be  all  brought 
inta  the  small  compass  of  the  hook.  This  previous 
trouble  not  only  saves  time,  but  ensures  a  degree  of 
neatness  that  is  otherwise  almost  unattainable. 

The  tying  of  the  wings  is  thus  performed : — A  piece 
of  well-waxed  silk  is  laid  in  a  noose  on  the  fore-finger 
of  the  left  hand ;  the  wings,  or  feathers,  are  put  on  the 
under  part  of  the  noose,  and  at  the  distance  of  the 
length  of  the  wing  required ;  the  thumb  is  then  apphed 
closely  to  the  feather,  and  with  one  end  of  the  noose  in 
the  mouth,  and  the  other  in  the  right  hand,  the  noose 
is  drawn  quite  tight,  and  the  silk  is  then  cut  within  an 
inch  of  the  knot,  to  leave  a  handle  by  which  to  hold  the 
wing.     If  the  thumb  is  not  closely  pressed,  the  feathers 

will  be  pulled  away. 

« 

First  Method. 

How  to  make  the  fly  with  the  wings  in  the  natural 
position  in  the  first  instance. 

Hold  the  hook  by  the  bend,  with  the  point  down- 
wards, between  the  fore-finger  and  thumb  of  the  left 
hand;  with  your  waxed  silk  in  your  right  hand  give 
one  or  two  turns  round  the  bare  hook,  about  midway ; 
lay  the  end  of  the  gut  along  the  upper  side  of  the  hook 
(if  tied  on  the  under  side  the  fly  will  not  swim  true,  but 
continually  revolve) ;  wrap  the  silk  firmly,  until  you  get 
within  a  few  turns  of  the  top ;  you  then  take  the  wings. 


204  THE  BRITISH 

lay  them  along  the  shank  with  the  right  hand^  and  hold 
them  firmly  in  their  place  to  the  hook  with  the  left 
hand.  Next,  tie  the  feather  tightly  at  the  point  of 
contact  with  two  or  three  turns ;  cut  off  the  superfluous 
ends  of  the  feather,  and,  tying  the  head  of  the  fly  very 
firmly,  you  carry  the  silk  round  the  gut,  heyond  the 
head,  that  the  end  of  the  hook  may  not  chafe  or  cut 
away  the  gut ;  then  retrace  the  silk,  until  you  come  to 
the  tying  on  of  the  wings.  Divide  the  wings  equally, 
and  carry  the  silk  through  the  division  alternately,  two 
or  three  times,  to  keep  the  wings  distinct  from  each 
other. 

Now  prepare  the  hackle,  by  drawing  back  the  fibres, 
and  by  having  two  or  three  less  on  the  but,  on  the  side 
of  the  feather  that  comes  next  to  the  hook,  that  it  may 
revolve  without  twisting  away. 

Tie  the  but-end  of  the  hackle  close  to  the  wings, 
having  its  upper,  or  dark  side,  to  the  head  of  the  fly. 
The  Scotch  reverse  this,  and  tie  the  tackle  with  its 
under  side  to  the  head;  and  likewise  strip  the  fibres 
entirely  off  that  side  which  touches  the  hook.  Take  the 
$iubbing  between  the  fore-finger  and  the  thumb  of  the 
right  hand,  twist  it  very  thinly  about  your  silk,  and  carry 
it  round  the  hook  as  far  as  you  intend  the  hackle  or  legs 
to  be  carried,  and  hold  it  between  the  fore  finger  and 
thumb  of  the  left  hand,  or  fasten  it.  Then,  with  your 
pliers,  carry  the  hackle  round  the  hook,  close  under  the 
wings,  and  down  to  where  you  have  brought  your  silk 


L 


angler's  manual.  205 

and  dubbing;  then  continue  to  finish  your  body,  by 
carrying  over  the  end  of  the  hackle ;  and  when 
you  have  made  the  body  of  sufficient  length,  fasten 
off,  by  bringing  the  silk  twice  or  thrice  loosely  round 
the  hook,  and  passing  the  end  through  the  coils,  to 
make  all  tight. 

Some  finish  the  body  of  this  fly  thus : — when  the 
hackle  is  fastened,  after  it  has  made  the  legs  of  the  fly, 
the  bare  silk  is  carried  to  the  end  of  the  intended  body ; 
dubbing  is  then  carried  up  to  the  legs,  and  there 
fastened. 

Second  Method. 

This  manner  of  proceeding  differs  from  the  first  in 
the  fixing  on  of  the  wings.  When  you  have  fastened 
the  gut  and  hook  together  to  the  point  where  the  wings 
are  to  be  tied,  apply  the  wings  to  the  hook,  with  the 
but  of  the  feather  lying  uppermost ;  when  the  wings 
are  well  fastened,  pull  them  back  into  the  natural  po- 
sition ;  and  when  the  head  of  the  fly  is  finished,  pass 
the  silk  alternately  through  the  wings;  and,  having 
your  silk  well  tied  to  the  roots  of  the  wings  (and  not 
over  the  roots),  the  fly  is  to  be  completed  as  in  the  first 
method,  having  cut  off  the  roots  of  the  feather. 

Third  Method, 

This  includes  the  Irish  manner  of  tying  flies,  and  is 
the  plan  generally  adopted  in  the  tackle-shops. 


206  THE  BRITISH 

There  are  two  ways  of  finishiiig  a  fly  by  the  head. 
If  the  wings  are  to  be  reversed^  or  turned  back^  they  are 
to  be  tied  to  the  hook  flrst^  but  not  immediately  turned 
back;  the  silk  is  carried  to  the  tail  of  the  fly^  when  the 
dubbing  is  carried  round  the  hook  until  the  putting  on 
of  the  hackle ;  the  hackle  is  tied  by  the  pointy  and  not 
by  the  but:  having  finished  the  body^  twist  on  the 
hackle  close  up  to  the  wings^  and  fasten  by  one  or 
two  loops;  then  divide  the  wings^  and  pass  the  silk 
between  them^  pulling  them  back  to  their  proper  po- 
sition^ and  finishing  the  head  :  fasten  oS  by  one  or  two 
loops. 

The  Irish  tie  over  the  roots  of  the  wings,  which  in- 
terfere with  their  action  in  the  water,  and  render  them 
lifeless. 

If  the  wings  are  to  be  placed  at  once  in  their  natural 
position,  and  the  fly  to  be  finished  at  the  head,  the  got 
must  be  tied  on  the  hook,  be^ning  near  the  head, 
and  finishing  at  the  tail;  then  twist  on  the  body  up  to 
the  legs,  fasten  on  the  hackle  by  the  point,  finish  the 
body,  then  the  legs,  and  then  apply  and  fasten  the 
wings;  and,  when  properly  divided,  cut  off  the  but- 
ends,  finish  the  head,  and  fasten  off  your  silk  by  one  or 
two  loops. 

Thus  concludes  the  method  of  making  the  winged 


J 


angler's  manual.  207 


HOW  TO  MAKE  THE  PALMER^  OR  HACKLE-FLY. 

The  making  of  the  palmer^  or  hackle-fly,  with  the 
cock  or  hen^s  feathers,  is  simply  as  described  in  the 
forenamed  methods,  by  twisting  on  the  legs  and  body, 
taking  care  that  the  hackle  has  fibres  as  long  as,  or 
rather  longer  than,  the  hook  it  is  to  be  twisted  upon. 

But  in  making  hackle-flies  with  birds'  feathers,  such 
as  those  of  the  snipe,  dotteril,  &c.,  the  feather  is  pre- 
pared by  stripping  off  the  superfluous  parts  at  the  but- 
end,  then  drawing  back  a  sufficient  quantity  of  fibre  to 
make  the  fly :  take  the  feather  by  the  root  and  point 
with  both  hands  (having  its  outside  uppermost),  and 
put  the  whole  of  the  fibres  into  your  mouth,  and  wet 
them,  that  they  may  adhere  together,  back  to  back. 
When  the  gut  is  fastened  to  the  hook,  you  must  tie  on 
the  feather  near  to  the  head  of  the  hook,  and  the 
feather  may  be  tied  either  at  the  but-end  or  the  point ; 
then  twist  the  feather  twice  or  thrice  round  the  hook, 
and  fasten  it  by  one  or  more  loops ;  the  fibres  of  the 
feather  will  then  lie  the  reverse  way.  Cut  off  the  su- 
perfluous part  of  the  feather  that  remains  after  tying, 
and  twist  on  the  body,  of  the  required  length ;  fasten 
by  two  loops,  draw  down  the  fibres  of  the  feather  to  the 
bend,  and  the  fly  is  finished.  The  fashion  of  the  day  is 
to  call  this  kind  of  hackle,  buzz. 

If  tinsel,  or  gold,  or  silver  twist,  be  required  for  the 
body  of  the  fly,  it  must  be  tied  on  after  the  hackle,  but 


208  THE  BRITISH 

carried  round  the  body  before  the  hackle  makes  the  legs. 
If  the  tmsel  be  required  only  at  the  tail  of  the  fly,  it 
must  be  tied  on  immediately  after  the  gut  and  hook  are 
put  together ;  the  hackle  next,  then  the  body,  &c. 

This  method  of  making  a  hackle-fly  is  followed  in 
Westmoreland  and  Cumberland,  where  very  few  winged 
flies  are  used. 

The  following  list  of  artificial  flies  contains  thirty- 
nine  in  number ;  each  fly  is  engraved,  numbered,  and 
described;  so  that  those  who  do  not  make  their  own 
flies  may  have  them  made  at  any  of  the  tackle-shops  in 
London,  by  giving  the  description  attached  to  each 
number.  I  purpose  also  to  give  a  second  Ust  of  flies, 
not  engraved,  which  have  been  recommended  to  me  by 
experienced  anglers,  though  I  think  my  first  Ust,  with 
certain  modifications  to  be  hereafter  named,  will  be  suf*- 
ficient  for  any  part  of  the  United  Kingdom. 

Previously  to  my  commencing  my  hst,  I  wish  to 
ofier  to  my  younger  brothers  of  the  angle  a  few  general 
remarks  on  artificial  flies,  that  my  list  may  be  better 
understood,  and,  consequently,  become  more  efficient. 

In  the  first  place,  I  have  avoided  the  usual  plan  of 
giving  a  list  of  flies  for  each  particular  month,  as  long 
experience  has  taught  me,  that  the  most  killing  flies 
used  in  different  parts  of  the  kingdom  will  take  fish 
through  the  whole  season.  For  instance,  the  variously 
coloured  duns  serve  from  March  to  September,  some- 
what changing  their  colour  and  size  as  the  season  ad- 


\ 


ANOLEB^S  MANUAL.  209 

vances;  and  the  streams  become  lower  and  brighter. 
The  same  may  be  said  of  the  palmers — the  soldier 
palmer^  No.  28;  and  the  black  palmer^  No.  27;  one 
or  the  other  of  them  beings  by  some  fly-fifihers^  used  as  a 
drop  all  the  season  through. 

The  green  and  grey  drake  are  the  only  flies  that^  I 
believe^  can  be  strictly  confined  to  one  season^  t.  e,  June ; 
but  even  the  grey  drake  will  answer^  in  July  and  August^ 
for  sea  trout.  The  flies,  however,  described  from  No.  1 
to  No.  11  are  those  most  employed  during  the  spring 
season. 

The  choice  of  your  fly  must  depend  much  upon  the 
nature  of  the  water  you  fish  in,  and  the  state  of  the 
weather.  If  the  water  be  full,  and  somewhat  coloured, 
your  flies  may  be  of  the  larger  and  darker  kind ;  if,  on 
the  contrary,  the  water  should  be  low  and  clear,  and  the 
day  bright,  your  fly  should  be  dressed  accordingly,  t.€. 
it  should  be  pale  in  colour  and  spare  in  the  dressing. 
The  two  engraved  palmers  are  dressed  on  No.  8  hooks, 
and  are  intended  for  large  trout  or  a  coloured  water : 
but  for  small  trout  and  bright  water  these  flies  may  be 
dressed  on  No.  9  or  No.  10  hooks ;  and  the  same  may 
be  said  of  other  large  flies  in  the  following  list. 

I  shall  here  take  an  opportunity  of  making  some 
observations  on  what  appears  to  me  to  be  a  very  general 
mistake  with  writers  on  fly-fishing— in  speaking  of  the 
palmer  and  hackle-fly  as  one  and  the  same  fly ;  whereas 
the  palmer  is   an   imitation  of  the  hairy  caterpillar, 

p 


210  THE  BRITISH 

made  artificially^  with  a  long^  foil  body^  haidng  the 
hackle  carried  over  it  from  one  end  to  the  other:  but 
the  hackle-fly,  properly  so  called,  is  an  imitation  of  a 
winged  fly,  made  in  a  peculiar  manner,  the  body  being 
made,  generally,  very  spare,  mostly  of  silk,  or  silk  and 
fur,  and  the  hackle  is  not  passed  over  the  body  as  in 
the  palmer.  By  referring  to  the  engraving  of  the 
soldier-palmer.  No.  28,  and  the  hackle-flies,  Nos.  37, 
38,  and  39,  my  readers  will  immediately  perceive  the 
difference  to  which  I  allude. 

These  hackle,  or  buzz-flies,  are  much  more  in  use 
than  winged  flies  in  Devonshire,  Derbyshire,  Yorkshire, 
Westmoreland,  and  Cumberland,  where  thejr  are  dressed 
on  Kirby-sneck  hooks;  and  when  the  streams  are  very 
bright  and  small  they  are  dressed  on  the  smallest 
hooks,  say  11,  12,  and  13 ;  and  of  these  hackles,  the 
favourites  are  the  wren,  the  grouse,  the  dotteril,  the 
different  coloured  duns,  the  partridge,  and  the  red  and 
black  cock's  hackle. 

I  have  before  remarked,  that  in  many  of  the  lakes 
of  the  United  Kingdom  winged  flies  answer  better  than 
the  hackle,  and  have  attempted  to  give  some  reasons  for 
it ;  but  I  am  at  a  loss  to  account  for  the  great  prefer- 
ence given  to  winged  flies  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
London  and  the  rivers  of  Hampshire.  My  own  prac- 
tice, when  fishing  in  these  rivers,  has  been,  generally, 
to  use  a  winged  fiy  for  the  stretcher,  and  a  hackle-fiy, 
or  small  palmer,  for  the  drop. 


^1^ 


^^^^ 


lO 


21. 


C^ 


angler's  manual.  211 


A  LIST  OF  ARTIFICIAL  FLIES. 

The  following  four  plates  contain  representations  of 
the  flies  in  most  general  use : — 

Plate  I. 

NO.    1.       THE    CHANTREY. 

This  fly  was  a  great  favourite  with  the  late  Sir 
Francis  Chantrey,  the  celebrated  sculptor,  who  was  a 
keen  and  skilful  brother  of  the  angle,  and  a  member 
of  the  Stockbridge  Club ;  where,  from  his  very  general 
use  of  this  fly,  it  has  been  called  "  the  Chantrey,'* 
and,  from  the  manner  in  which  it  is  dressed,  I  have 
no  doubt  that  it  is  an  excellent  killer. 

IMITATION. 

Body.  Copper-coloured  peacock's  herl,  ribbed  with 
gold  twist. 

Legs.     A  black  hackle. 

Wings.  Partridge's,  or  brown  hen's  feather,  or 
pheasant's  tail. 

Hook.    No.  9,  or  No.  10. 

NO.  2.     hofland's  fancy. 

This  fly,  from  its  having  been  my  great  favourite 
for  many  years,  has,  by  my  friends,  been  named  as 
above;  and  as  I  am  convinced  of  its  excellence  as  a 


I 


212  THE  BRITISH 

general  fly^  I  am  content  to  adopt  it.  Mr.  Willingham^ 
formerly  of  the  Strand,  sold  great  numbers  of  them 
mider  this  name.  I  have  had  sport  with  it  in  most 
parts  of  England;  but  particularly  in  the  vicinity  of 
London,  in  Hampshire,  and  when  fishing  in  the  Wandle, 
the  Colne,  the  Cray,  or  the  Dart.  I  rarely  use  any 
other  fly  as  a  stretcher. 

I  have  killed  trout  vrith  this  fly,  at  Famingham, 
when  the  may-fly  has  been  strong  on  the  water,  and  the 
fish  have  refused  any  other  that  I  could  ofier.  It  may 
be  used  after  sunset  with  success  in  any  part  of  the 
kingdom,  and  in  any  season. 

IMITATION. 

Body.     Reddish  dark  brown  silk. 

Legs.      Red  hackle. 

Wings.  Woodcock's  tail. 

Tail.       Two  or  three  strands  of  a  red  hackle. 

Hook.    No.  10. 

NO.   3.      MARCH  BROWN. 

This  fly  is  also  called  the  dun  drake,  and  is  said  to 
change  to  the  great  red  spinner ;  it  appears  about  the 
latter  end  of  March,  and  is  eagerly  taken  by  the  trout. 
Mr.  Ronalds,  the  author  of  an  excellent  work,  the 
"  Fly-fisher^s  Entomology,^'  says,  '^  it  continues  in 
season  till  the  beginning  of  May/'  and  he  does  not 
recommend  its  use  beyond  that  time;  but  experience 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  213 

has  taught  mCj  that,  with  certain  modifications  in  size 
and  dressing,  it  will  be  found  a  very  killing  fly,  in  many 
of  the  lakes  in  Wales,  from  March  to  September. 

■ 

IMITATION. 

Body.    Fur  of  the  harems  ear,  ribbed  with  oUve  silk. 
Legs.     Partridge  hackle. 
Wings.  Tail  feather  of  the  partridge. 
Tail.       Two    or  three   strands   of  the   partridge 
feather. 

Hook.    No.  8,  or  No.  9. 

NO.  4.      BLUE  DUN. 

This  is  an  early  fly,  appearing  in  March,  and  is 
generally  upon  the  water  in  dark,  windy  days.  Later 
in  the  season,  the  duns  appear  of  another  colour ;  but, 
in  some  shape  or  other,  they  may  be  used  with  success 
from  March  to  October. 

IMITATION. 

Body.  Dtibbed  with  water-rat^s  fur,  and  ribbed 
with  yellow  silk. 

Legs.     A  dun  hen^s  hackle. 
Wings.  From  the  feather  of  the  starling's  wing. 
Tail.      Two  strands  of  a  grizzle  cock's  hackle. 
Hook.    No.  10. 

NO.  5.      FOR  CARSHALTON  AND  THE  TEST. 

I  am  not  acquainted  with  a  proper  name  for  this 


214  THE  BRITISH 

fly^  but  it  is  much  used  at  Garshalton^  and  on  the  Test 
in  Hampshire^  and  is  a  well-dressed  fly,  likely  to  kill  in 
other  streams. 

IMITATION. 

Body.     Black  silk^  ribbed  with  silver  twist. 
Legs.     A  dark  grizzle  hackle. 
Wings.  The  dark  feather  of  the  starling's  wing^ 
made  spare  and  short. 
Hook.    No.  10. 

NO.  6.       CARSHALTON  COCK-TAIL. 

This  is  a  dun  fly^  and  made  with  peculiar  nes^tness 
in  the  London  tackle-shops^  and  will  be  found  a  good 
killer  in  other  streams  as  well  as  the  Wandle. 

IMITATION. 

Body.     Light  blue  fur. 

Legs.     Dark  dun  hackle. 

Wings.  The  inside  feather  of  a  teal's  wing. 

Tail.      Two  fibres  of  a  white  cock's  hackle. 

Hook.    No.  9,  or  No.  10. 

NO.  7.      THE  PALE  YELLOW  DUN. 

This  is  an  excellent  fly  from  April  to  the  end  of 
the  season.  Too  much  cannot  be  said  in  its  praise^ 
and  the  angler  should  never  leave  his  home  without  this 
kilUng  fly. 


angler's  manual.  215 

imitation. 

Body.  Yellow  mohair^  or  Martin's  pale  yellow  fiir, 
tied  with  yellow  silk. 

Wings.  The  lightest  part  of  a  feather  from  a  young 
starling's  wing. 

Hook.     No.  12. 

NO.  8.      THE  ORANGE  DUN. 

This  is  another  fly  in  much  request  on  the  Test  and 
other  southern  streams. 

IMITATION. 

Body.  Bed  squirrel's  fnr^  ribbed  with  gold  thread. 

Legs.  Bed  hackle. 

Wings.  Prom  the  starling's  wing. 

Tail.  Two  fibres  of  red  cock's  hackle. 

Hook.  No.  9. 

NO.  9.      THE  COACHMAN. 

I  am  unacquainted  with  the  origin  of  this  curiously 
named  fly,  neither  have  I  any  practical  knowledge  of  its 
merits ;  but  as  it  cannot  have  acquired  an  established 
reputation  without  cause,  I  have  introduced  it. 

IMITATION. 

Body.     Copper-coloured  peacock's  herl. 
Legs.      Bed  hackle. 


16  THE  BRITISH 

Wings.  From  the  landrail. 
No.  8. 

NO.  10.       COW-DCNG  FLY. 

ly  is  in  aeason  thronghout  the  year,  and  is,  at 
y  abundant  on  the  water ;  it  is  used  cfaieSy  in 
Jy  weather. 


Dull  lemon-coloured  mohair. 
Red  hackle. 
3.  From  feathers  of  the  landrail,  or  starling'a 

No-  8,  or  No.  9. 

NO.  11.      THE  HABB's-SAB  SUN. 

la  a  killing  fly,  and  in  great  favour  with  the 
Vi  fishermen. 


The  fur  of  the  hare's  ear. 
s.  The  feather  from  a  starling's  wing. 

Two  fibres  of  the  brown  feather  from  a  star- 

g- 

.    No.  10. 
persons  dress  this  fly  without  the  whisk,  or 


J9 


.^>v\ 


\ 


ZZ 


'    r 


angler's  manual.  217 

Plate  II. 

NO.  12.     edmondson's  welsh  fly. 

This  fly  is  constantly  used  in  Wales  by  the  sUlM 
fly-fisher  and  tackle-maker  whose  name  it  bears^  Mr. 
John  Edmondson^  of  Liverpool.  It  may  be  depended 
upon  as  a  killing  fly  in  most  of  the  large  lakes  and 
rivers  of  Wales^  and  I  feel  assured^  from  the  manner  in 
which  it  is  dressed^  that  it  would  answer  for  many  of 
the  lakes  of  England^  Scotland^  and  Ireland. 

IMITATION. 

Body.    Dull  orange  mohair. 
Legs.     The  back  feather  of  a  partridge. 
Wings.  The  feather  from  a  woodcock's  wing,  or  the 
tail  of  a  hen  grouse. 
Hook.    No.  8. 

NO.  13.      THE  KINGDOM,  OB  KINDON. 

This  is  another  well-dressed  fly  much  in  use  in  the 
Hampshire  streams,  and  is  a  good  general  fly  also,  as 
most  woodcock-winged  flies  are. 

IMITATION. 

Body.     Pale  yellow  silk,  ribbed  with  crimson  silk. 
Legs.     Black  hackle. 


218  THE  BRITISH 

Wings.    The  feather  of  a  woodcock's  wing. 
Hook.      No.  9. 

NO.  14.       BROWN  SHINER. 

This  is  a  hackle-fly^  and  is  a  favourite  with  Welsh 
anglers;  it  is  an  exceQent  fly  also  for  the  rivers  and 
lakes  of  Cumberland.  If  used  for  a  small^  bright 
stream^  it  may  be  dressed  on  a  smaller  hook.  If  on  a 
full^  dark  water^  or  a  lake^  on  a  dull^  windy  day^  it  may 
be  dressed  on  a  larger  hook. 

IMITATION. 

Body.  Peacock's  herl^  twisted  spare^  with  a  grouse- 
hackle  over  it. 

NO.  15.     GRAVEL^  OR  SFIDER-FLT. 

This  fly  appears  towards  the  latter  end  of  April ;  it 
is  not  found  in  every  water^  but  where  it  is  met  with  it 
may  be  fished  with  all  day^  and  the  trout  take  it  freely. 

IMITATION. 

Body.    Water-rat's  fiir. 
Legs.     Black  hackle. 

Wings.  The  feather  from  the  rump  of  a  partridge. 
Hook.    No.  10,  or  11, 

It  may  also  be  made  with  a  dark  dun  hackle,  which 
I  prefer  instead  of  the  partridge  feather. 


ANOLEB^S  MANUAL.  219 

NO.  16.      THE  IKON  BLUE. 

This  small  fly  is  in  season  from  April  till  July,  and 
may  be  again  used  in  September  and  October. 

IMITATION. 

Body.    The  far  of  the  water-rat. 
Legs.     A  light  dun  hackle. 
Wings.  The  tail  feather  of  a  tom-tit,  or  of  an  Ame- 
rican robin. 

Hook.    No.  12,  or  No.  13. 

NO.  17.      THE  GREAT  RED  SPINNER, 

Is  said  to  be  changed  horn  the  dun  drake,  or  March 
brown,  and  may  be  used  as  an  evening  fly  during  the 
whole  summer  season. 

IMITATION. 

Body.     Hog^s  wool,  red  and  brown,  mixed,  ribbed 
with  gold  twist. 

Legs.     Bright  red  cock's  hackle. 
Wings.  The  light  feather  of  the  starUng^s  wing. 
Tail.      Three  strands  of  a  red  cock's  hackle. 
Hook.    No.  7. 

NO.  18.      BLACK  GNAT. 

These  little  insects,  at  times,  skim  over  the  water  in 
vast  quantities,  and  they  are  eagerly  devoured  by  the 


220  THE  BRITISH 

trout.     They  are  also  a  capital  fly  for  daee^  and  may  be 
used  from  April  to  the  end  of  the  season. 

IMITATION. 

Body.    Black    hacUe^  or  ostrich  herl^   tied  with 
black  silk. 

Wings.  The  feather  from  a  starling's  wing. 
Hook.    No.  18. 

NO.  19.      WREN-TAIL. 

This  little  fly  is  an  excellent  killer  in  small,  bright 
streams,  and  is  in  great  favour  in  the  northern  counties : 
it  is  always  dressed  as  a  hackle-fly. 

IMITATION. 

Body.  Dark  orange  silk,  with  wings  and  legs  of  a 
wren's  tail.  Although  the  feathers  of  a  wren's  tail 
cannot  be  properly  called  hackles,  they  are  here  used 
as  such,  and  this  remark  will  apply  to  other  feathers 
simflarly  employed. 

Hook*    No.  12. 

NO.  20.      THE  BRACKEN  CLOCKy 

Is  a  kind  of  beetle,  and  in  some  districts  is  so  nu- 
merous in  the  month  of  June,  that  the  fish  become 
glutted  with  them  before  the  best  of  the  fishing  season 
is  over. 


ANOLER^S  MANUAL.  221 

Some  of  the  London  tackle-sliops  sell  a  very  close 
imitation  of  tbis  &y,  but  it  falls  so  heavy  on  the  water 
that  I  prefer  the  old  way  of  dressing  it.  If  made  upou 
a  large  hook^  and  like  the  engraved  specimen,  it  will  be 
found  an  excellent  fly  for  Loch  Awe,  and  other  lakes  in 
Scotland. 

IMITATION. 

Body.  Peacock's  herl,  dressed  full,  and  tied  with 
purple  silk. 

Wings.  Feather  of  a  pheasant's  breast. 

Hook.     No.  9  or  10 ;  for  lake-fishiug.  No.  6  or  7. 

NO.  21.       RED  ANT. 

This  is  the  small  red  ant,  and  there  is  another  of 
the  same  size,  called  the  black  ant,  and  two  others, 
named  the  large  black  and  red  ants.  These  flies 
generally  appear  late  in  the  season,  and  if  the  angler 
be  ready  when  they  first  appear,  he  may  expect  great 
sport  with  them.  I  have  given  but  one  specimen,  but 
by  substituting  ostrich  herl  for  peacock's  herl,  and  a 
black  hackle  instead  of  a  red  one,  the  black  ant  may 
be  imitated. 

IMITATION. 

Body.  Peacock's  herl,  made  full  at  the  tail,  and 
spare  towards  the  head. 


222  THE  BRITISH 

Legs.    Red,  or  ginger-cock^s  hackle. 
Wings.  From  the  light  feather  of  the  starling's 
wing. 

Hook.    No.  9,  or  No.  10. 

NO.  22.      THE  SAND-FLY. 

This  fly  is  strongly  recommended  by  Mr.  Bain- 
bridge  in  his  ''Fly-fisher's  Guide,''  who  says  it  is 
equally  good  for  trout  or  grayling  firom  April  to  the 
end  of  September;  and  the  same^  or  a  very  similar 
fly^  is  much  used  in  Hampshire^  on  the  Test^  &e.  If 
dressed  as  a  hackle^  on  a  No.  12  hook>  it  will  be 
found  a  capital  October  fly  for  grayling. 

IMITATION. 

Body.  The  fur  firom  a  hare's  neck,  twisted  round 
silk  of  the  same  colour. 

Legs.     A  ginger-hen's  hackle. 

Wings.  The  feather  from  the  landrail's  wing. 

Hook.   No.  9. 

Plate  III. 

NO.  23.      THE  STONE-PLY, 

Is  one   of  the  larger  kind  of  flies,  and  appears  in 
April ;  it  is  used  in  windy  weather,  and  is  a  good  fly 


23 


ze 


Z7 


ItliN/'iAl'  ■        :  f  Jl 


"rvr  'a'  >.    n-.  Jl.  S"- •'.■>■ 


angler's  manual.  223 

in  May  and  June,  if  used  very  early  in  the  morning, 
or  very  late  in  the  evening.  It  varies  very  much  in 
colour,  according  to  the  season. 

IMITATION. 

Body.  Fur  of  harems  ear,  mixed  with  brown  and 
yellow  mohair,  and  ribbed  with  yellow  silk.  The 
yellow  colour  towards  the  tail. 

Legs.      A  brownish  red  hackle. 

Wings.  The  dark  feather  of  the  mallard^s  wing. 

Tail.  Two  or  three  fibres  of  the  mottled  feather 
of  a  partridge. 

Hook.     No.  6. 

NO.  24.       ALDER  FLY. 

This  fly  makes  its  appearance  early  in  May,  and 
may  be  used  throughout  the  month  of  June ;  it  is  an 
excellent  fly  during  the  drake  season,  and  will  tempt 
the  trout  even  when  the  may-fly  is  strong  on  the 
water. 

IMITATION. 

Body.     Peacock^s  herl,  tied  with  dark  brown  silk. 
Legs.     Coch-a-bonddu  hackle. 
Wings.  The  brown'  speckled  feather  of  a  mallard^s 
back. 

Hook.    No.  8. 


224  THE  BRITISH 

If  this  fly  be  dressed  on  a  No.  6  or  7  hook^  and 
winged  with  the  red  romp  feather  of  a  pheasant^  it  will 
be  found  an  excellent  lake  fly.  I  have  myself  taken 
fish  with  it  in  Loch  Awe^  when  the  trout  would  not  rise 
at  any  other  fly. 

NO.  25.      GIIEEN  DRAKE* 

This  beautiful  fly^  so  well  known  to  every  angler^ 
appears  late  in  May  or  early  in  June;  and  on  some 
rivers  they  appear  in  sudi  vast  numbers  that  the  trout 
become  glutted  with  them^  and  grow  fat  upon  their 
good  living. 

When  this  fly  and  the  grey  drake  are  on  the  water 
it  is  called  '^the  drake  season;''  and  many  lovers  of 
natural  fly-fishing  resort  to  the  Rutland  Arms  (an 
excellent  inn  at  Bakewell),  and  other  places  in  Derby- 
shire and  elsewhere^  to  use  the  blow-line;  and  many 
heavy  fish  are  killed  in  this  manner.  I  prefer  the 
artificial  fly,  and  use  a  very  small  one,  dressed  on  a  No. 
8  or  9  hook ;  and  by  fishing  late  in  the  evening,  throw- 
ing under  overhanging  bushes,  and  letting  my  fly  sink 
a  little,  I  have  taken  many  large  fish. 

This  short-lived  insect  is  not  to  be  found  on  every 
stream :  I  have  never  seen  it  on  the  Wandle. 

IMITATION. 

Body.  Yellow  flos  silk,  ribbed  with  brown  silk; 
the  extreme  head  and  tail,  coppery  peacock's  herl. 


angler's  manual.  225 

Legs.      A  red,  or  ginger  hackle. 

Wings.  The  mottled  wing  of  a  mallard^  stained 
olive. 

Tail  or  whisk.    Three  hairs  from  a  rabbit's  whiskers. 

Hook.     No.  6. 

Some  persons  prefer  them  dressed  on  a  No.  4  or  5 
hook. 

NO.  26.       GREY  DRAKE. 

This  fly  is  said  to  be  metamorphosed  from  the 
female  green  drake^  and  what  is  said  of  one  will  apply 
to  the  other;  but^  I  may  add^  it  is  not  in  so  much 
request  with  the  angler. 

Mr.  Lascelles  does  not  agree  with  the  above  opinion ; 
but  thinks  the  grey  drake  maybe  found  in  manylocaU- 
ties  where  the  green  drake  cannot. 

IMITATION. 

Body.  White  flos  silk,  ribbed  with  dark  brown  or 
mulberry-coloured  silk ;  head  and  top  of  the  tail,  pea- 
cock's herl. 

Legs.     A  grizzle  cock's  hackle. 

Wings.  From  a  mallard's  mottled  feather,  made  to 
stand  upright. 

Tail.      Three  whiskers  of  a  rabbit. 

Q 


226  THE  BRITISH 

NO.  27.       THE  BLACK  PALMER. 

This  is  a  standard  fly^  and  its  merits  are  too  well 
known  to  need  description.  It  is  a  valoable  drop-fly 
on  dark^  rainy^  or  windy  weather^  and  in  a  full  water. 

IMITATION. 

Body.  Ostriches  herl,  ribbed  with  silver  twisty  and 
a  black  cock^s  hackle  over  all. 

NO.  28.       THE  SOLDIER  PALMER. 

This  fly  (and  its  varieties)  may  be  considered  the 
most  general  fly  on  the  list^  and  many  anglers  never  fit 
up  a  fly-link  without  having  a  red  hackle^  of  some  kind^ 
for  a  drop-fly.  The  one  given  as  a  specimen  may  be 
used  with  success  for  large  trout  and  a  strong  water^ 
but  for  a  bright  stream  a  smaller  hook  must  be 
adopted;  and  the  fly  must  be  more  spare  of  hackle  ; 
and  should  the  water  be  very  low  and  clear,  the  gold 
twist  had  better  be  omitted,  and  a  spare  hackle  be 
tied  with  red  twist.  Another  variety  is,  the  using  a 
black  hackle  for  the  head  of  the  fly. 

IMITATION. 

Body.  Red  mohair,  or  squirrel's  fur,  ribbed  with 
gold  twist,  and  red  cock's  hackle  over  all. 


angler's  manual.  227 

Plate  IV. 

NO.  29.       THE  GOVERNOR. 

This  fly  is  used  on  the  Hampshire  rivers,  and,  frim 
its  appearance^  I  should  think  it  may  be  employed  with 
success  in  other  counties.  I  cannot  speak  from  ex- 
perience, but  it  is  a  well-dressed  fly, 

IMITATION. 

Body.     Coppery-coloured    peacock's    herl,   ribbed 
with  gold  twist,  tipped  with  scarlet  twist. 
Legs.     Red  or  ginger  hackle. 
Wings.  The  light  part  of  a  pheasant's  wing. 
Hook.    No.  9. 

NO.  30.       FOR  LOCH  AWE. 

This,  and  the  following  fly,  I  can  strongly  recom- 
mend for  Loch  Awe,  in  the  Highlands  of  Scotland; 
which,  together  with  the  River  Awe,  have  long  been 
celebrated  for  their  abundance  of  fine  salmon  and  trout. 
In  the  description  of  Scotch  lakes,  I  purpose  giving  an 
account  of  an  excursion  from  London  to  this  favourite 
resort  of  experienced  anglers. 

IMITATION. 

Body.     Orange  mohair. 
Legs.     Ginger  hackle. 


^ 


228  THE  BRITISH 

Wings.     From  the  feather  of  the  pheasant^s  tail. 
Hook.     No.  8. 

NO.  31.       SECOND  FLT  FOR  LOCH  AWE. 

IMITATION. 

Body.    Copper-coloured  peacock's  herl. 
Legs,     Black  hackle. 

Wings.  The  feather  from  a  water-hen's  wing. 
Hook.    No.  7. 

NO.  32.       FOR  THE  RIVER  DEE. 

This,  and  the  following,  will  be  found  to  be  killing 
flies  in  the  River  Dee. 

IMITATION. 

Body.     Dull  yellow  mohair. 

Wings.  Hackle  from  the  neck  of  a  pale  dun  hen. 

Hook.    No.  9. 

'         NO.  33.      ANOTHER  FLY  FOR  THE  RIVER  DEE. 

IMITATION. 

Body.     Peacock's  herl. 

Legs  and  wings.     A  dark  dun  hen's  hackle,  dressed 
rather  full. 

Hook.     No.  9. 


r 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  229 


NO.  34.       A  PLY  FOR  LLYN  OGWYN. 

This  fly,  and  those  recommended  for  Loch  Awe,  will 
ensure  sport  on  this  most  sporting  lake.  Llyn  Ogwyn 
is  in  the  county  of  Caernarvon,  North  Wales,  and  is 
abundantly  stocked  with  the  finest  and  best-flavoured 
trout  in  the  PrincipaUty. 

IMITATION. 

Body.  Peacock^s  herl. 

Legs.  Black  hackle. 

Wings.  The  dark,  copper-coloured  feather  of  the 
mallard. 

Hook.  No.  8. 

■ 

NO.  35.       COCH-A-BONDDU. 

This  fly  is  a  well-known  favourite  throughout  the 
United  Kingdom,  though  not  always  under  the  same 
name  j  but  it  is  more  especially  relied  on  in  Wales ; 
and  the  cock  that  furnishes  the  peculiarly  mixed  deep 
red  and  black  feather  necessary  to  make  this  fly  is  in 
great  estimation. 

IMITATION. 

Body.     Peacock^s  herl. 


230  THE  BRITISH 

Legs  and  wings.  Red  and  blacky  or  coch-a-bonddu 
hackle. 

Hook.  No.  8  or  9 ;  and  in  the  North  of  England, 
for  clear  streams,  it  is  sometimes  dressed  on  a  No.  12 
hook. 

NO.  36.       THE  YELLOW  SALLY. 

I 

These  flies  continue  in  season  from  May  to  July, 
and  in  warm  weather  they  are  numerous  on  some  waters. 

IMITATION. 

Body.  Pale  yellow  fur,  or  mohair,  ribbed  with 
fawn-«oloured  silk. 

Legs.     A  ginger  hackle. 

Wings.  A  white  hackle,  dyed  yellow. 

Hook.    No.  9. 

NO.  37.      GINGER  HACKLE. 

Body.     Short  and  spare,  of  yellow  silk. 
Legs  and  wings.     A  ginger  hackle. 
Hook.     No.  8,  Kendal-sneck. 

NO.  38.      GROUSE  HACKLE. 

Body.  Varied  to  the  water  and  season,  such  as 
peacock's  herl,  orange  silk,  &c. 

Legs  and  wings.     A  grouse  hackle. 
Hook.     From  No.  8  to  No.  12. 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  231 

NO.  39.       THE  DOTTERIL  HACKLE. 

The  dotteril  hackle  is  one  of  the  surest  flies  that 
can  be  used  in  the  north  of  England^  where  it  has  long 
been  a  first-rate  favourite,  carrying  the  palm  even  from 
the  red  hackle. 

IMITATION. 

Body.     Made  of  yellow  silk. 

Legs  and  wings.     From  the  feather  of  a  dotteril. 

Hook.     Kirby-sneck,  from  No.  6  to  No.  12. 

This  is  a  killing  fly  on  Ulswater,  when  dressed  on  a 
No.  6  hook ;  and  by  being  dressed  on  a  No.  11  or  12 
sneck-hook  it  will  answer  for  small  streams. 

• 

I  have  now  closed  my  account  of  the  engraved  flies, 
and  shall  proceed  to  describe  a  few  others  that  are  not 
engraved,  but  which  may  be  procured  by  their  descrip- 
tion at  the  tackle-shops. 

NO.  40.       FOR  THE  CONWAY. 

This  and  the  two  following  hackle-flies  may  be  used 
on  the  Conway  and  other  Welsh  rivers. 

IMITATION. 

Body.     Dun  orange  mohair. 

Legs  and  wings.     A  dark  dun  hen's  hackle. 

Hook.    No.  11. 


232  THE  BRITISH 

NO.  41.       SECOND  CONWAY  FLY. 
IMITATION. 

Body.     Yellow  mohair. 

Legs  and  wings.     Bright  don  hen^s  hackle. 

Hook.    No.  10. 

NO.  42.       THIRD  CONWAY  FLY. 

Body.     Peacock^s  herl. 

Legs  and  wings.     A  wren's  hackle. 

Hook.     No.  9. 

NO.  48.       THE    ORANNOM^  OR  GREENTAIL. 

This  well-known  fly  appears  early  in  April,  but  is 
never  seen  unless  the  weather  is  warm.  For  a  short 
season  it  is  sometimes  very  abundant,  and  will  be  well 
taken  by  the  trout. 

IMITATION. 

Body.  Fur  of  a  hare's  face,  pointed  at  the  tail 
with  a  little  green  silk. 

Legs.      A  cock's  grizzled  hackle. 

Wings.  The  feather  from  a  pheasant's  or  partridge's 


wing. 


Hook.    No.  9. 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  233 

NO.  44.       THE  WATER-CRICKET. 

This  insect  appears  in  March,  and  is  much  com- 
mended by  the  "  North-Country  Angler.^ 


>y 


IMITATION. 

Body.     Orange  flos  silk,  tied  on  with  black  silk. 

Legs.  Are  made  best  of  a  peacock's  topping.  If 
this  cannot  be  easily  procured,  a  black  cock^s  hackle  will 
answer  the  purpose.  Either  of  these  must  be  wound 
all  down  the  body,  and  the  fibres  then  snapped  off. 
This  is  Mr.  Ronald^s  imitation. 

NO.  45.       THE  BLUE-BOTTLE  FLY. 

This  fly,  and  the  house-fly,  as  I  have  before  said, 
are  excellent  live  baits  when  used  with  a  float,  and 
fished  with  at  the  bottom.  They  are  also  good  as 
artificial  flies,  late  in  the  season,  for  trout ;  but  more 
especially  for  dace. 

IMITATION. 

Body.     Dark  blue  flos  silk,  tied  with  brown  silk. 
Legs.     A  cock^s  black  hackle. 
Wings.  Feather  of  the  starling^s  wing. 
Hook.    No.  9  to  12. 

NO.  46. 

The  common  house-fly  may  be  dressed  on  a  No.  12 
or  No.  13  hook. 


234  THE  BRITISH 

Body.     Ostrich  herl,  rather  full. 

Legs.     A  black  hackle. 

Wings.  The  feather  of  a  starling's  wing. 


I  have  now  concluded  my  list  of  artificial  flies.  My 
readers  will  perceive  that  this  list  might  be  greatly  en- 
larged; indeed^  by  what  has  been  already  said^  it  will 
be  seen  that  the  variety  of  hackle-flies  may  be  extended 
indefinitely.  But  it  may  be  well  to  state  that  Mr. 
ChevaUer,  of  Bell  Yard,  Temple  Bar,  and  Mr.  Barth,*  of 
Gockspur  Street,  have  undertaken  to  have  in  readiness 
a  supply  of  the  flies  described  in  the  preceding  list^  on 
their  being  ordered  by  the  numbers  affixed  to  the 
plates ;  and  that  they  will  be  made  by  any  other  fishing- 
tackle  makers  by  description. 

For  the  small  hackles,  made  on  Nos.  11, 12,  and  13 
hooks,  I  prefer  the  Kirby-sneck.  I  have  already  made 
a  distinction  between  hackle-flies  and  palmers.  In  the 
former,  the  hackle  does  not  pass  over  the  body  of  the 
fly,  but  is  confined  to  the  head  of  the  fly,  for  the  legs 
and  wings ;  but  in  the  palmer,  or  caterpillar  fly,  the 
hackle  is  carried  all  over  the  body. 

*  Now  Mr.  Jacobs.  To  this  list  may  be  added  Mr.  Cheek,  132 
Oxford  Street;  Mr.  Bowness,  BeU  Yard,  Temple  Bar;  Mr.  Eaton 
and  Mr.  Farlow,  Crooked  Lane;  Mr.  Blacker,  Dean  Street;  Mr. 
Alfred,  Coleman  Street ;  and  several  other  respectable  establishments. 
—Ed. 


ANGLERS  MANUAL.  235 

I  shall  close  this  subject  by  observing,  that  a  variety 
of  killing  palmers  may  be  dressed,  by  making  the 
bodies  of  differently  coloured  peacocks'  herls,  and  by 
twisting  over  them  hackles  of  various  kinds,  such  as  the 
red,  the  black,  the  dun,  the  grizzle,  the  blue,  and  the 
coch-a-bonddu ;  and  they  may  be  dressed  on  hooks 
proper  for  the  waters  they  are  intended  for. 

Extensive  and  excellent  as  this  list  is,  anglers  will 
always  do  well  to  consult  residents  in  fishing  locabties 
as  to  the  best  £y  to  be  used. 


CHAPTER    XVIII 


THAMES  FISHING. 


The  vast  metropolis  of  the  British  empire  contains 
many  thousand  brothers  of  the  angle,  "who  have  few 
opportunities  of  exercising  their  gentle  craft"  at  any 
great  distance  from  home ;  it  is  therefore  a  happy  cir- 
cumstance that  they  have  so  noble  a  river  as  the 
Thames  in  which  to  practise  their  art.  The  scenery  on 
its  banks  is  of  unrivalled  heauty,  and  few  streams  con- 
tain a  greater  variety  of  iiah  and  fishing  stations.  I  have 
met  with  anglers  who  affect  to  despise  Thames  fishing ; 
but  for  myself,  after  having  cast  a  fly  in  many  of  the 
principal  ri^'crs  and  lakes  in  England,  Scotland,  Ireland, 


THE  BRITISH   ANGLER's    MANUAL.  237 

and  Wales,  I  can  still  enjoy  a  day^s  barbel,  or  roach,  and 
dace-fishing  at  Richmond,  Teddington,  or  Hampton.  A 
fine  balmy  day,  the  delicious  scenery,  a  cheerful  and 
skilful  companion,  a  pic-nic  dinner  on  board  your  punt, 
and  ten  or  fifteen  brace  of  barbel  to  carry  home,  are 
pleasures  not  to  be  scorned;  and  give  me  leave  to  tell 
those  gentlemen  who  despise  Thames  fishing  and  cock- 
ney anglers,  that  many  of  them  would  cut  a  poor  figure 
in  a  punt,  or  on  shore,  if  they  had  to  contend  with  the 
practised  neatness,  quickness,  and  dexterity  of  a  London 
artist.* 

I  shall  now  enumerate  the  various  kinds  of  fish 
found  in  the  Thames,  and  name  the  places  where  they 
most  abound. 

The  salmon  have  been  driven  from  the  river  by  the 
gas-works  and  steam  navigation,  not  one  having  been 
caught,  to  my  knowledge,  during  the  last  twelve  or 
fourteen  years ;  although  many  were  taken,  formerly, 
of  a  peculiarly  fine  quality,  within  my  recollection,  at 
Mortlake,  Isleworth,  and  other  places.  The  brandling, 
salmon  pink,  or  skegger,  has  also  disappeared :  the  last 

*  It  should  be  mentioned,  that  since  the  recent  protection  of  the 
river  Thames,  under  the  direction  of  the  "  Thames  Angling  Preservation 
Society/'  anglers  are  generally  certain  of  good  sport.  It  is  to  be  hoped 
that  this  protection  will  not  foil  fbr  want  of  funds  to  support  it.  Sub- 
scriptions and  donations  are  received  by  all  the  principal  fishing-tackle 
makers  in  London,  Richmbnd,  and  Windsor ;  of  whom,  also,  may  be 
had,  without  charge,  the  list  of  subscribers,  accompanied  by  a  printed 
statement  of  the  preserves,  &c — Ed. 


238  THE  BRITISH 

salmon  I  saw  taken  in  a  net  was  opposite  Twickenham 
meadows^  in  the  year  1818. 

I  shall  commence  my  list  with  the  trout^  which  are 
few  in  number,  but  celebrated  for  their  large  size  and 
the  excellence  of  their  flavour.  They  are  taken  from 
five  to  fifteen  pounds  weight.*  The  pike  and  jack  are 
more  numerous,  and  the  following  fish  are  abundant  in 
all  parts  of  the  Thames,  from  Battersea  Bridge  up- 
wards :  viz.  perch,  barbel,  chub,  eels,  lampreys  (or 
seven  eyes),  flounders,  roach,  dace,  gudgeons,  bleak, 
pope,  ruffe,  and  minnows.  In  some  places,  fine  carp 
and  tench  are  taken,  and  the  deUcate  smelt  may  also  be 
caught  by  angling  in  the  docks  below  London  Bridge. 

I  shall  now  describe  the  different  fishing  stations, 
commencing  below  London  Bridge,  and  proceeding  up- 
wards to  Streetly,  in  Berkshire.  In  the  wet  docks  be- 
low London  Bridge,  perch,  roach,  bream,  and  some- 
times smelts,  may  be  taken  :  permission  to  angle  is  ob- 
tained from  the  governors  or  directors  of  the  different 
companies.  The  Commercial  Docks,  near  Deptford, 
aboimdwith  perch,  roach,  and  large  bream;  and  tickets 
for  the  season  may  be  procured,  without  expense,  by 
application  to  a  director  of  the  company. 

Formerly,  Blackfriars^  and  Westminster  Bridges  were 
favourite  places  of  resort,  but  various  causes  have  driven 

*  Any  that  are  taken  under  two  pounds  weight  by  members  of  the 
*'  Maidenhead  Trout  Club/'  and  the  **  Thames  Angling  Society/'  are, 
as  a  rule,  thrown  into  the  river  again.  — Ed. 


angler's  manual.  239 

the  fish  further  up  the  river ;  and  I  now  find  the  first 
station  to  be  Battersea  Bridge,*  where  good  roach  and 
dace-fishing  may  be  had,  during  the  months  of  July, 
August,  September,  and  October,  from  a  boat  fastened 
to  the  piles  of  the  bridge.  The  same  kind  of  fishing 
may  also  be  had  at  Putney  Bridge,  where  boats  may  be 
hired  at  one  shilling  for  the  first  hour,  and  sixpence 
for  each  succeeding  hour.  [The  waters  are  now  pre- 
served for  fifty  yards,  thirty  west  and  seventy  east  of 
the  bridge.]  Two  hours  before  and  one  after  flood  are 
the  best  periods  for  these  stations.  I  may  here  ob- 
serve, that  angling  is  not  allowed  in  the  Thames 
during  the  three  fence-months  of  March,  April,  and 
May.  Angling  commences  on  the  1st  of  June,  when 
the  gudgeon-fisher  will  find  plenty  of  this  ''small 
fry,^'  from  Teddington  lock  to  Windsor,  till  August, 
when  roach,  dace,  and  barbel-fishing  commences,  and 
continues  till  Christmas. 

From  Putney  to  Richmond  the  Thames  affords  few 
places,  either  for  punt  or  bank-fishing ;  I  have,  how- 
ever, had  tolerable  sport  off  the  Aits,  at  Brentford;  and 
there  are  some  good  spots  for  bank-fishing  between 
Isleworth  and  Richmond,  on  the  Surrey  side  of  the 
river.  [There  is  said  to  be  excellent  fishing  at  Isle- 
worth,  although  there  are  no  deeps.  The  inns  are  the 
London  Apprentice,  Orange  Tree,  and  Coach  and 
Horses;  the  fishermen,  S.  Styles  and  John  Piatt.] 

*  The  fishing  here  is  now  preserved  for  twenty  yards,  ten  east  and 
ten  west  of  the  bridge.— Ed. 


THB  BRITISH 


RICHMOND. 


This  beautifnl  village  has  long  been  a  favoarite  re- 
sort, and  here  the  angler  will  find  the  first  and  most 
extensive  deep,  or  preserve,  on  the  river.  This,  and  the 
other  preserves  in  the  Thames,  were  granted  by  the 
corporation  of  London,  whose  jurisdiction  extends  to 
Staines,  for  the  benefit  of  the  towns  in  their  neigh- 
bourhood, for  angling  exclusively ;  as  fishermeD  are  not 
allowed  to  cast  a  net  of  any  kind  into  the  river  west- 
ward of  the  bri^,  as  far  as  the  Duke  of  Bnccleuch's, 


a  distance  of  seven  hundred  yards,  or  into  any  other 
oreserve  hereafter  named. 


preserve  hereafter  named. 


angler's  manual.  241 

The  town,  and  its  beautiful  vicinity,  are  too  well 
known  to  require  description.  The  inns  are  of  every 
possible  grade,  from  the  splendid  to  the  comfortable ; 
of  the  latter  character  I  should  name  Mrs.  Durrant's, 
near  the  bridge,  [the  Pigeons,  near  the  Duke  of 
Buccleuch^s,  the  White  Cross,  the  Greyhound,  Mills^ 
Royal  Hotel,  near  the  bridge.  Rose  Cottage,  and  the 
Roebuck]  ;  and  of  the  former,  the  Star  and  Garter,  the 
Talbot,  and  the  Castle.  Punts  may  be  hired  of  George 
Piatt  the  fisherman,  of  Brown  the  waterman  [or  of 
Howard  or  Carter],  at  the  rate  of  seven  shillings  per 
day,  attendance  included.* 

The  best  station  for  barbel  is  in  the  deep,  about  two 
hundred  yards  above  the  bridge,  from  the  middle  of 
August  to  the  end  of  October  :  but,  in  the  early  part  of 
the  season,  I  prefer  a  pitch  at  the  extremity  of  the 
preserve,  opposite  the  Duke  of  Buccleuch's  boat-house, 
where  the  dace  are  very  numerous,  and  many  barbel  are 
also  caught  with  dace-tackle.  In  fact,  the  most  general 
mode  of  fishing  for  barbel  at  Richmond  is  with  fine 
tackle,  as  the  barbel,  though  plentiful,  do  not  run  so 
large  as  they  do  higher  up  the  Thames.  The  dace  are 
very  large  in  the  deep,  and  if  a  heavy  barbel  be  hooked, 
he  afibrds  much  more  sport  with  dace-tackle  than  with 
the  ledger.     In  the  last  week  of  August,  1818,  in  a 

*  Mr.  Spalding,  fishing-tackle  manufacturer  near  the  bridge,  makes 
the  best  flies  suitable  to  this  locality ;  and  is,  besides,  an  experienced 
and  communicative  brother  of  the  angle. — Ed. 

R 


242  THE  BRITISH 

pitch  in  the  deep^  opposite  the  summer-house^  I  caught, 
with  fine  dace-tackle^  three  barbel  in  succession^  after 
four  o^clock  P.M.,  weighing  twenty-one  pounds;  and 
although  I  have  fished  in  the  same  spot  many  seasons 
since  then,  I  have  never  taken  one  of  more  than  five 
pounds  weight.  The  largest  of  these  three  fish  weighed 
eight  pounds,  and  had,  hanging  to  his  gills,  three  No.  10 
hooks,  with  shotted  gut ;  and,  from  the  peculiar  manner 
in  which  the  shot  were  placed,  I  knew  the  fragments 
must  have  belonged  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Waring,  of  Isle- 
worth,  who,  indeed,  afterwards  owned  them.  I  shall 
have  further  occasion  to  speak  of  this  most  worthy 
brother  of  the  angle,  whom  I  have  long  considered  the 
king  of  Thames  fishers. 

The  pitches  I  have  recommended  are  for  a  clear 
water ;  but  after  2^  fresh,  and  when  the  water  is  high,  and 
somewhat  coloured,  the  best  stations'will  be  found  three 
or  four  yards  from  the  bank,  on  the  Middlesex  side  of 
the  river,  and  between  the  bridge  and  the  Duke  of 
Buccleuch^s.  On  the  4th  October,  1835,  when  the 
water  was  high,  and  rather  discoloured  by  two  or  three 
days  rain,*  after  twelve  at  noon,  I  caught  twenty  dozen 
fish,  principally  roach,  weighing  altogether  twenty-five 
pounds.     My  station  was  three  or  four,  yards  from 'the 

*  Having  spoken  of  coloured  water,  I  must  here  inform  the  young 
angler  that  sport  cannot  be  expected  when  the  river  is  rising  rapidly, 
and  is  of  a  white  yeasty  colour,  from  the  muddy  waters  of  the  Mole, 
and  other  tributary  streams  ;  but  when  it  is  clearing,  and  becomes  a 
greenish  grey,  he  will  be  well  rewarded  for  his  labour. 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  243 

Middlesex  shore;  and  during  tbe  same  season^  two 
friends,  in  one  punt,  killed  a  hundred  and  twenty-five 
barbel  in  one  day,  many  of  them  weighing  from  four  to 
eight  pounds  each. 

To  make  the  most  of  a  day  at  Richmond,  the  neap 
tide  should  be  chosen,  that  is,  when  it  is  high  water  at 
London  Bridge  at  six  o'clock  a.m.  It  will  then  be 
high  water  at  Richmond  between  eight  and  nine  in  the 
morning,  with  but  little  tide;  you  may  commence  at 
nine,  and  continue  to  fish  till  seven,  when  it  will  be 
flood,  and  you  will  then  have  the  best  hours'  fishing  of 
the  whole  day.  If  you  visit  Richmond  during  a  spring 
tide,  i,  e.  when  it  is  high  water  at  London  Bridge  at 
noon,  you  will  be  interrupted  two  or  three  hours  by  the 
flowing  of  the  tide,  during  which  time  the  only  fishing 
is  from  the  banks.  The  same  observations  will  apply 
to  Twickenham  and  Teddington  Lock,  beyond  which 
the  tide  ceases  to  flow.  From  the  bridge  as  far  as  the 
Duke  of  Buccleuch's,  on  the  Richmond  side,  there  is 
good  fishing  from  the  towing-path  for  dace  and  barbel ; 
and  in  the  months  of  October  and  November,  very  good 
roach  are  taken  there.  From  the  western  end  of  the 
Duke  of  Buccleuch's  garden  to  Twickenham  ferry, 
there  is  an  excellent  shoal  for  fly-fishing,  where  I  have 
frequently  taken  ten  or  twelve  dozen  dace  in  a  few 
hours;  it  is  good  practice  for  a  tyro  in  the  art,  and 
prepares  him  for  taking  the  field  for  higher  game  — 
the  trout. 


244  THE  BRITISH 

The  foot  link  of  the  angler's  fly-line  shonld  be 
three  yards  of  very  fine  gut,  and  hold  three  flies ;  the 
stretcher^  or  end  fly^  shonld  be  the  common  house-fly^ 
No.  46;  the  first  drop^  the  soldier-palmer^  No.  28; 
and  the  third  drop^  No.  2,  or  Hofland's  fancy;  all 
dressed  on  No.  12  (or  No.  10)  hooks.  It  is  usual  in 
the  Thames  to  point  the  fly  with  a  gentle^  but  I  very 
much  prefer  a  small  bit  of  white  leather  at  the  point 
of  each  fly;  it  will  remain  on  the  hooks  the  whole 
day^  and  answer  every  purpose  of  the  gentle.  I  would 
recommend  the  same  plan  in  fly-fishing  for  the  chub ; 
of  course^  a  larger  piece  of  leather  will  be  required  to 
point  the  hook. 

The  amateur  painter  may  also  here  find  abundance 
of  subjects  on  which  to  exercise  his  pencil^  or  gratify 
his  taste  for  nature  and  art ;  admiration  of  the  former, 

■ 

and  knowledge  of  the  latter^  being  alike  called  into 
action  by  the  scenery  around  him.  The  placid  stream 
verifying  Denham's  description, 

"  Strong  witJiout  rage,  without  overflowing  faU," 

presents  on  one  side  emerald  turf  of  the  finest  texture 
and  brightest  verdure,  lofty  elms,  interspersed  with 
chestnuts,  poplars,  acacias,  and  all  the  lighter  shrubs, 
shading  noble  mansions  with  hanging  gardens,  and 
elegant  cottages  omee ;  while  on  the  other  is  seen  the 
ancient  village  of  Richmond,  rising  terrace-wise,  and 
exhibiting  every  form  of  stately  and  of  rural  dwelling. 
A  peculiar  air  of  cheerfulness  everywhere  pervades  the 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  245 

scene^  which  is  alike  remote  from  the  noise  and  con- 
fusion attendant  on  the  metropolis^  and  the  sequestra- 
tion which  belongs  to  isolated  dwellings  in  more  remote 
districts.  The  pleasures  of  society,  and  the  tranquillity 
of  retirement,  are  nowhere  better  combined  and  com- 
pletely enjoyed  than  in  this  beautiful  village  and  its 
vicinity. 

The  annexed  view  of  Richmond  is  taken  from  the 
towing-path  below  the  bridge,  and  near  to  Cholmon- 
deley  walk. 

TWICKENHAM 

Is  one  mile  above  Richmond,  and  was  formerly  an 
excellent  station.  The  deep  is  one  hundred  and  fifty 
yards  in  length,*  and  opposite  the  house  and  grounds 
long  celebrated  as  Pope's  Villa,  —  a  more  deUghtful 
station  cannot  be  conceived :  the  velvet  lawn,  sloping 
down  to  the  water's  edge,  adorned  with  clumps  of 
brilliant  flowers  ;  the  luxuriant  foliage  of  towering 
trees,  and  the  tasteful  mansions  that  adorn  this  part  of 
the  river,  are  seen  in  all  their  beauty  by  the  angler  in 
this  particular  deep,  I  have  not  fished  here  lately,  but 
during  my  residence  in  the  village,  &om  1816  to  1822, 
I  tried  my  skill  here  in  all  seasons.  The  barbel  and 
dace  were  plentiful;  the  roach  not  so  numerous,  nor 
were  the  barbel  generally  so  large  as  at  Teddington, 
Hampton,  and  Shepperton :   but   I   hooked  two  fish 

*  This  preserve  now  extends  410  yards  from  the  west  end  of  the 
lawn,  Pope's  Villa,  to  the  Ait. — Ed. 


THE  BRITISH 


there  so  heavy  as  to  defy  aU  my  attempts  to  remove 
thein  from  the  bed  of  the  river,  and  in  the  end  I  lost  my 


tackle.  Had  I  been  fishing  with  the  ledger-bait,  I  might 
have  had  to  boast  of  killing  one  of  the  largest  barbel 
ever  taken  in  the  Thames.  The  fbhing  at  Twickenham 
has  greatly  improved  lately.  There  are  two  good  inus, 
the  King's  Head  and  the  George;  the  fishermen  are 
Redgate,  Kichard  Coxen  and  Son  [J.  Harris,  William 
Chamberlain,  J.  Henneaaey  and  Son],  I  may  here 
remark,  that  little  success  can  be  expected  in  the  early 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  247 

part  of  the  season;    it  is  almost  useless  to  fish  these 
deeps  sooner  than  September  or  October. 

One  inconvenience  here  the  angler  must  be  pre- 
pared for,  and  that  is,  a  frequent  interruption  by  the 
barges,  when  fishing  by  the  edge  of  the  channel^  which 
is  very  narrow.  Immediately  above  the  deep  is  a  small 
island,*  where  I  have  had  good  sport  with  the  fly  for 
chub  and  dace.  Twickenham  Ait,  on  which  stands  the 
Eel-pie  House,  is  a  little  below  the  preserve,  and  oflFers 
an  excellent  place  of  accommodation ;  and  some  large 
chub  may  be  taken  under  the  horse-chestnut  trees,  on 
the  west  end  of  this  island. 

The  neighbourhood  of  Twickenham  is  not  only 
singularly  beautiful  and  rich  in  its  adornments  of  ele- 
gant villas  and  noble  mansions,  but  it  abounds  in 
memorials  interesting  to  the  historian,  the  antiquarian, 
and  the  lover  of  literature  and  art.  The  Manor-house 
was,  for  a  long  period,  the  jointure-house  of  the  queens 
of  England.  Catherine  of  Aragon,  and  Henrietta  of 
jPrance,  have  here  bewailed  in  their  day  a  cruel  and  a 
martyred  husband.  Queen  Anne  was  born  here,  in 
York  House,  and  lost  her  promising  son  whilst  in- 
habiting the  mansion  now,  or  lately,  the  property  of 
Sir  George  Pocock,  Bart.,  which  was  for  some  years 

*  This  island  is  at  Cross- Deep y  facing  the  splendid  mansion  of  Mr. 
Chillingworth,  which  was  originally  built  by  John,  the  last  earl  of 
Kadnor  ;  the  present  owner  has  lately  altered  and  enlarged  it,  but  has 
judiciously  preserved  its  fine  ceilings  and  stained  glass. — Ed. 


24  THE  MKITIBH 

inhabited  by  the  present  King  of  the  Frcncfa,  wkcn 
Duke  of  Orleans.*  [It  is  now  the  prapaty  of  tbe 
Earl  of  KUmorey.] 


Strawberry  Hill,  the  seat  of  the  celebrated  Horace 
Walpolc  (Lord  Orford) ;  the  house  where  Lady  Mary 

*  The  nHturul  and  pictoreiique  Ait,  opporite  Orkanit  House,  has 
long  been  sdmired  by  the  lovers  of  Thomea  uenerj,  and  willi  its 
pretty  group  of  tree>,  formed  a  most  pleBaing  feature  of  the  laad- 
Mape.  Heru  wo  may  fiuicy  Pope,  sealed  in  bis  boat,  gliding  gently 
along,  redting  some  of  hit  oim  verse*  to  the  boatmBii,  as  be  was  known 
to  have  done,  and  calling  upon  tbe  man  to  repeat  them  the  next  day. 
In  thia  way  he  paid  Bome  of  bis  lisita  to  the  celebrated  I<ady  Suffolk. 
It  is  indeed  claaaic  ground,  when  we  call  to  mind  tbe  many  eminoit 
peraona  whu  have  resided  at  Twickenham  ;  but.  alaa  T  this  once  pretty 
Ait  baa  of  late  been  eadly  altered  and  disfigured,  and  the  channel 
between  it  and  the  shore  altogether  stopped.  The  public  having  en- 
joyed  a  right  of  pasaage  through  this  cbaunel  for  time  immemorial,  it 
becomes  very  doubtfid  whether  any  individual  lan  now  aasune  tbe  right 


angler's  manual.  249 

Wortley  resided ;  and  near  it  that  of  the  celebrated 
Duke  Wharton,  that  of  Earl  Howe,  and  several  others 
of  great  interest,  are  all  in  view ;  and  within  a  little 
distance  is  Marble  Hill,  immortalised  by  Swift,  Pope, 
and  Gay,  and  the  residence  of  Lady  Suffolk,  the  mis- 
tress of  George  II.  [now  occupied  by  Col.  Peel]  ;  Ham 
House,  the  splendid  seat  of  the  Tollemaches  [within 
which  Charles  II.  was  often  entertained  by  the  Duke 
and  Duchess  of  Lauderdale ;  and  a  boudoir,  in  which 
the  king  delighted  to  sit,  together  with  its  furniture, 
still  remains  untouched]  ;  Twickenham  Meadows  House, 
once  the  property  of  the  celebrated  Owen  Cambridge 
[now  of  Henry  Bevan,  Esq.,  the  banker]  :  these  met  the 
admiring  eye  of  the  angler  as  he  made  his  way  to  the 
deep  in  question,  where  he  now  rests,  and  from  which 

to  shut  it  up.  Had  a  bridge,  in  good  taste,  been  erected  to  connect 
the  meadow  with  the  Ait,  no  one  would  have  raised  an  objection,  for 
then  the  passage  of  the  river  would  not  have  been  interrupted.  But 
what  is  now  the  case  ?  A  vulgar-looking  embankment  has  beenmade , 
and  forms  a  complete  eyesore  in  the  scenery  of  this  part  of  the  river. 
Nor  is  this  all.  When  the  current  has  been  increased  by  rains,  the 
tide  sets  round  the  embankment  so  strongly,  that  boats  can  only  pass 
it  with  great  labour,  and,  if  steamers  happen  to  be  in  the  same  channel, 
with  considerable  risk.  The  view,  too,  of  the  river,  which  was  for- 
merly enjoyed  from  the  public  path  between  Orleans  House  and  the 
meadow  has  lately  been  walled  off,  to  the  great  annoyance  of  the  lover 
of  the  picturesque. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  some  effectual  steps  will  be  taken  to  abate 
such  encroachments  on  the  simplicity  and  romance  of  this  delightful 
neighbourhood,  and  we  feel  sure  that  the  necessary  funds  will  be  forth- 
coming whenever  they  are  called  for. — Ed. 


250  THE  BRITISH 

he  gazes^  untired^  on  that  spot  of  groond  which  pre- 
sents the  most  remarkable  objects  and  associations  en- 
deared by  time  and  taste.* 

Here  Pope  wrote  ^Hhe  deathless  satire^  the  im- 
mortal song,''  which  neither  time,  fashion,  nor  envy, 
can  obliterate ;  here  he  entertained  the  most  highly 
gifted  men  of  his  own,  or,  perhaps,  any  other  time; 
the  most  noble,  influential,  and  amiable.  The  grotto 
which  he  formed,  and  where  he  loved  to  sit  with  his 
friends,  is  before  us,  as  well  as  the  garden  he  planted ; 
but  which  was  much  enlarged  in  dimensions,  as  weU 
as  beauty,  by  his  first  successor,  as  an  inscription  in- 
forms us :  — 

**  The  humble  roof,  the  garden's  scanty  line, 
III  suit  the  genius  of  the  bard  dirine ; 
But  fftncy  now  displays  a  fairer  scope, 
And  Stanhope's  plans  unfold  the  soul  of  Pope/'f 

*  It  may  be  mentioned  in  this  notice  of  Twickenham,  that  the  nu- 
merous cedars  which  adorn  so  many  yillas  in  the  parish  are  known  to 
have  been  raised  from  seeds  supplied  by  the  celebrated  John  Duke  of 
Argyle,  whose  interview  with  Queen  Caroline,  while  accompanied  by 
our  favourite  heroine,  Jeanie  Deans,  is  so  graphically  described  by  Sir 
Walter  Scott.  This  interview  took  place  in  the  opposite  grounds  of 
Richmond,  the  terrace  of  which  accords  well  with  the  animated  de- 
scription ;  but  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  precise  spot  cannot  now  be 
ascertained.  The  Duke  of  Argyle  is  said  to  have  resided  in  the  fine 
house  at  Twickenham  now  the  property  of  Miss  Byng,  and  to  have 
planted  the  present  row  of  cedars  in  the  pleasure  grounds  of  that  villa. 
—Ed. 

t  He  ruined  Pope's  villa.  We  should,  therefore,  read  for  the  last 
line, — 

"And  Stanhope's  wealth  destroy'd  the  taste  of  Pope." — Ed. 


ANGLER  S  MANUAL. 


The  vignette  is  a  gronp  of  arbele  poplars,  nearly 
opposite  Twickenham  Ferry. 

TEDDINOTON. 

The  first  lock  and  wier  from  London  is  at  Tedding- 
ton,  ODe  mile  and  a  half  beyond  Twickenham,  This 
place  was  formerly  very  little  freqnented,  but  it  has  of 
late  become  a  favourite  resort  for  the  lovers  of  barbel- 
fishing  ;  the  dry  seasons  of  the  last  four  years  having 
prevented  the  fish  from  passing  the  lock  in  any  quan- 
tity, the  consequence  has  been  the  filling  the  deep 
water  under  the  wier  with  an  immense  number  of 
barbel.  From  forty  to  fifty  per  day  have  been  fre- 
quently taken  by  one  party ;  and  good  gudgeon-fishing 


252  THE  BRITISH 

may  be  had  on  the  scowers  above  the  lock ;  but  I  do 
not  consider  the  roach  and  dace-fishing  so  good  as  at 
Richmond^  Ditton^  and  Hampton. 

Teddington  is  well  supplied  with  fishermen;  there 
are  three  of  the  Kemps  [there  are  now  four,  viz.  J. 
Amos^  Samuel^  and  his  son  James^  and  WiUiam ;  also 
Thomas  Deer  and  Son] .  .  I  believe  that  Amos  Kemp 
can  furnish  the  angler  with  a  good  bed;  and  at  his 
cottage  I  have  frequently  enjoyed  a  pic-nic  dinner  in  a 
snug  parlour^  where  his  wife  furnished  us  with  breads 
&c.^  with  great  civiUty  and  ready  attention.  This  is  the 
first  place  in  the  river  where  trout  are  taken :  one  of 
the  Kemps^  Mr.  Marshall^  and  many  other  anglers^ 
have  taken  trout  at  the  wier  from  five  to  fourteen 
pounds^  weight,  by  spinning  the  bleak. 

There  are  some  good  stands  for  bank-fishing  in  the 
meadows  below  the  village,  and  above  the  lock.  On  an 
island  called  the  TroUock  there  is  excellent  winter- 
fishing,  or,  indeed,  in  the  autumn  after  a  fresh  of  water. 
Small  jack  are  also  taken  on  the  Middlesex  side  of  the 
TroUock.  Teddington  cannot  boast  of  its  inns.  [It  for- 
merly could  not,  but  there  is  now  a  very  comfortable 
one,  the  Royal  Oak;  there  is  also  the  Bang^s  Head.]* 


*  The  celebrated  Margaret  Woffington  was  buried  at  Teddington, 
and  a  handsome  monument  put  up  to  her  memory  in  the  church. 
Mrs.  Clive,  the  actress,  resided  at  Little  Strawberry  Hill,  near  this 
church,  and  which  was  afterwards  left  by  Horace  Walpole  to  the  Miss 
Berrys,  to  whom  he  addressed  his  reminiscences. — Ed. 


ANGLERS  MANUAL, 


KINGSTON  AND  HAMPTON-WICK. 


Kingston  U  a  mile  and  a  half  from  Teddington,  and 
twelve  from  London,  and  was  formerly  celebrated  for 
the  large  barbel  caught  near  the  starhngs  of  the  old 
bridge.  The  late  Duke  of  York,  in  early  life,  frequently 
fished  here  with  great  success,  but  the  removal  of  the 
old  wooden  bridge  has  injured  the  tiahing;  although 


254  THE  BRITISH 

good  sport  may  still  be  had  for  barbel,  perch,  roach, 
dace,  and  gudgeons,  in  both  these  places,  where  boats 
may  be  procured :  from  June  to  August  the  gudgeon- 
fishing  is  particularly  good.  [The  preserve  extends 
seventy  yards  eastward  to  thirty  yards  westward  of  the 
bridge.]  The  inns  at  Hampton- Wick  are  the  White 
Hart  [the  Swan,  and  the  Anglers]  ;  and  the  fishermen, 
William  Bolton  [John  Pamham,  Kobert  Brown,  and 
Thomas  Clark]. 

THAMES  DITTON 

Is  a  short  distance  from  Kingston,  and  opposite 
Hampton  Court,  and  is  a  very  favourite  resort  of  Lon- 
don anglers,  as  it  deserves  to  be.  The  Swan  is  an  ex- 
cellent house  [there  are  now,  also,  the  White  Hart  and 
White  Horse]  ;  and  here  the  sportsman  is  on  the  spot, 
and  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood,  of  fine  fishing 
and  fine  scenery.  The  deep  opposite  Lord  Henry 
Fitzgerald^s  [now  Sir  Edward  Sugden^s]  seat,  is  five 
hundred  and  twelve  yards  long,  and  is  well  stocked 
with  barbel,  perch,  chub,  roach,  and  dace.  [The  water 
is  carefully  preserved,  as  is  also  the  deep  from  Keene's 
wharf,  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards  northward.]  The 
fishermen  are  Thomas  and  William  Rogerson  [and 
Henry  and  William  Tagg] .  Their  charge  for  a  punt, 
ground-bait,  and  attendance,  is  seven  shillings  a-day. 
The  vignette  at  the  head  of  this  chapter  is  taken  from 
the  back  of  the  Swan  Inn. 


angler's  manual.  255 

[And  here  let  me  introduce  a  short  account  of  some 
scenery  on  the  banks  of  the  Thames : — 

"  The  river  calmly  swells  and  flows  ; 

The  charm  of  this  enchanted  ground, 
And  all  its  various  turns  disclose 

Some  fresher  beauty  varying  round. 
The  sternest  heart  its  wish  might  bound, 

On  earth  to  dwell  delighted  here ; 
Nor  could  on  earth  a  spot  be  found 

To  nature  and  to  me  so  dear." — Byron.] 

A  celebrated  angler  of  the  present  day — one  who 
has  wandered  along  the  sides  of  most  of  the  European 
and  some  of  the  American  rivers,  with  his  rod  in  his 
hand — was  heard  lately  to  say,  that,  having  seen  all 
these  rivers,  he  had  never  yet  met  with  one  in  any  way 
to  be  compared  to  the  Thames,  either  for  beauty  or  the 
good  sport  generally  to  be  found  in  it.  Like  some 
others  I  have  met  with,  his  beau  id6al  of  enjoyment  was 
the  possessing  a  beautiful  villa  on  the  banks  of  this 
river,  enjoying  the  luxury  of  its  charming  scenery,  and 
inhaling  the  soft  breezes  which  gently  fan  the  surface 
of  the  stream.  I  was  glad  to  hear  that  this  tribute  had 
been  paid  to  my  favourite  river, —  for  certainly,  if  its 
course  is  followed,  it  presents  so  many  objects  of  in- 
terest, so  much  varied  scenery,  and  has  so  many  pretty 
and  smiling  villages  scattered  on  its  banks,  that  the 
eye  has  always  some  pleasing  spot  to  rest  upon,  or  some 
interesting  historical  fact  called  to  mind,  as  we  glide 
along   the   tranquil   stream.      Who   that    has   visited 


256  THE  BRITISH 

Pangboume,  and  Marlow,  and  Cliefden,  and  viewed 
the  scenery  around  Henley,  will  ever  forget  the  various 
beauties  which  present  themselves  in  connexion  with 
the  smiling  and  tortuous  river  ?  Sometimes  the  ruins 
of  an  old  monastery  are  seen,  or  a  Uttle  village  church 
peeps  out  from  a  cluster  of  trees,  surrounded  by  the 
humble  cottages  which  compose  the  hamlet.  Then  there 
are  the  abrupt  hills,  covered  to  their  summits  by  the 
embrowned  beeches,  and  the  swelling  lawns  belonging 
to  some  noble  mansion.  The  valleys  smile  with  the 
numerous  flocks  depasturing  on  them,  and  the  fields  in 
autumn  stand  thick  with  com.  All  is  peace,  prosperity, 
and  beauty.  The  scenes  are  also  occasionally  enlivened 
by  fishermen  pursuing  their  calling,  or  by  "  honest 
anglers^'  spinning  their  silvery  baits  at  the  foaming 
wiers.  Sometimes  we  see  the  various  wildness  of  Nature, 
and  at  others  view  her  in  a  difierent  garb,  aided  by  the 
elegance  of  taste  and  art. 

I  delight  in  some  of  the  small  inns  which  may  be 
foimd  scattered  here  and  there  on  the  banks  of  the 
river,  especially  when  they  are  the  resort  of  "  honest 
anglers.^^  These  disciples  of  Izaac  Walton  appear  to 
have  imbued  the  landlords  with  that  taste  for  cleanliness 
and  comfort  which  are  so  charmingly  described  in  his 
'^  Angler/^  He  is  sure  to  find  not  only  clean  white 
sheets  and  comfortable  beds,  but  that  good  wholesome 
cheer  which  anglers  especially  are  so  capable  of  enjoying 
after  they  have  plied  their  rods  through  a  long  morning 
on  the  banks  of  a  stream.     The  more  I  see  of  this  class 


angler's  manual.  257 

of  persons^  the  more  convinced  I  am  that  a  peculiar 
character  attaches  itself  to  them.  The  very  pursuit 
they  are  engaged  in  argues  a  quiet  and  contented  mind^ 
and^  far  removed  from  the  noise  and  turmoil  of  the 
world,  they  enjoy  the  charms  of  nature  by  the  side  of 
some  placid  river,  in  which  they  may  see  the  reflexion 
of  their  own  peaceful  and  serene  dispositions. 

Amongst  the  comfortable  inns  I  have  referred  to,  I 
may  mention  the  Swan,  at  Thames  Ditton.     I  do  this, 
not  so  much  to  commend  the  inn,  of  which,  however, 
too  much  cannot  be  said  as  regards  its  cleanliness  and 
good  cheer,  as  to  introduce  the  following  verses,  written 
by  the  late  Mr.  Theodore  Hook,  in  praise  of  Ditton,  and 
where,  I  have  reason  to  believe,  some  of  his  happiest 
days  were  passed.     It  is  impossible  to  mention  Mr. 
Hook  without  referring  to  the  many  agreeable  hours  I 
have  spent  in  his  company.     His  wit  was  most  erube- 
rant,  and  of  the  readiest  kind,  surprising  his  audience  by 
its  flashes,  and  wonderful  application  to  existing  cir- 
cumstances, while  at  the  same  time  there  was  a  freedom 
from  censure  or  ill-natured  remarks  on  others.     His 
good  himiour  was  perfect  and  unchangeable,  and  he 
was  always  ready  to  perform  a  kind  action.    His  talents 
were  most  extraordinary,  and  his  fine  and   powerful 
writings  in  the  earlier  pages  of  the  "John  Bull'^  news- 
paper have  seldom  been   exceeded,  and  his  political 
songs  perhaps  never.     He  had  his  defects  and  faults — 
and  who,  alas !  is  without  them  ? — ^but  it  must  be  a  con^ 

s 


258  THE  BRITISH 

solation  to  his  sanriving  firiends  to  know  that  his  latter 
days  were  passed  in  deploring  them,  and  in  fervently 
praying  for  forgiveness  throngh  the  mercy  of  our 
Blessed  Redeemer. 

Aflter  this  short  and  imperfect  notice  of  Mr.  Hook, 
I  will  proceed  to  give  his  verses  in  praise  of  Ditton, 
which  I  am  sure  all  his  old  friends  will  readily  recognise 
as  his  own : — 

DITTON. 

When  sultry  suns  and  dusty  streets 

Proclaim  town^s  winter  season. 
And  rural  scenes  and  cool  retreats 

Sound  something  like  high  treason, 
I  steal  away  to  shades  serene 

Which  yet  no  bard  has  hit  on. 
And  change  the  bustling,  heartless  scene. 

For  quietude  and  Ditton. 

Here  lawyers  safe  from  legal  toils. 

And  peers  released  from  duty. 
Enjoy  at  once  kind  Nature's  smiles. 

And  eke  the  smiles  of  Beauty, — 
Beauty  with  talent,  highly  graced. 

Whose  name  must  not  be  written. 
The  idol  of  the  fane  is  placed 

Within  the  groves  of  Ditton.* 

*  The  lady  to  whom  this  compliment  was  paid  will  leadily  appro- 
priate it  to  herself;  nor  will  it  be  difficult  for  any  one  who  has  re- 
sided in  the  neighbourhood  of  Ditton  to  guess  who  she  was. 


ANOLER^S  MANUAL.  259 

Let  lofty  mansions  great  men  keep, 

I  have  no  wish  to  rob  'em ; 
I  want  not  Claremont^  Esher's  steep^ 

Nor  Squire  Coombe's  at  Cobham. 
Sir  Hobhouse  has  a  mansion  rare^ 

A  large  red  house,  at  Whitton ; 
But  Cam  with  Thames  I  canH  compare. 

Nor  Whitton  class  with  Ditton. 

I'd  rather  live,  like  General  Moore,* 

In  one  of  those  pavilions 
Which  stand  upon  the  other  shore. 

Than  be  the  king  of  millions ; 
For  though  no  subjects  might  arise 

To  exercise  my  vnt  on. 
From  mom  till  night  I'd  feast  my  eyes 

By  gazing  at  dear  Ditton. 

The  mighty  queen  whom  Cydnus  bore 

In  gold  and  purple  floated ; 
But  happier  I  when  near  the  shore. 

Although  more  humbly  boated. 
Give  me  a  punt — a  rod — a  line — 

A  snug  arm'd  chair  to  sit  on. 
Some  well-iced  punch,  and  weather  fine. 

And  let  me  fish  at  Ditton. 

*  The  late  amiable  General  Moore  then  resided  in  the  pavilion  of 
Hampton  Court,  immediately  opposite  Thames  Ditton. 


260  THE  BRITISH 

The  ''  Swan/^  snug  inn,  good  fare  affords 

As  table  e^er  was  put  on. 
And  worthy  quite  of  grander  boards 

Its  poultry,  fish,  and  mutton. 
And  while  sound  wine  mine  host  supplies. 

With  beer  of  Meux  or  Tritton, 
Mine  hostess,  with  her  bright  blue  eyes. 

Invites  a  stay  at  Ditton. 

Here,  in  a  placid  waking  dream, 

I'm  free  from  worldly  troubles. 
Calm  as  the  rippling  silver  stream 

That  in  the  sunshine  bubbles. 
And  when  sweet  Eden's  blissful  bowers 

Some  abler  bard  has  writ  on. 
Despairing  to  transcend  his  powers, 

1^11  ditto  say  for  Ditton. 

HAMPTON  COURT 

Has  stronger  attractions  for  the  antiquarian,  the  archi- 
tect, and  the  lover  of  history,  than  for  the  angler;* 
it  has,  however,  a  eleep,  called  the  water-gallery,  two 
hundred  yards  long,  being  from  the  summer-house  of 
the  palace  to  the  eastward.  [According  to  the  official 
list,  this  preserve  extends  two  hundred  and  seventy 

*  Now,  however,  it  is  a  great  resort  of  anglers,  and  deservedly  so. 
—Ed. 


ANOLEIl  S  HAN1TAL.  261 

yards  from  Weir  Movdsey  Lock  to  Lower  Head  Pile.] 
It  contains  barbel,  roach,  dace,  and  many  fine  perch,  and 
may  be  fished  from  the  shore,  or  in  a  punt.  The  cele- 
brated Toy  Inn  has  been  rebuilt,  and  is  now  a  com- 
fortable, well-frequented  inn.  The  Mitre,  also,  may  be 
safely  commended,  as  moderate  chaises,  good  fare,  and 
great  civility,  will  be  found  there.  [There  is  also  the 
King's  Arms.] 

The  river  assumes  a  new  character  here,  after  we 
have  passed  the  deep  just  mentioned,  from  being  so 
intersected  by  numerous  islands,  that  it  forms  narrow 
channels  only.  The  verdure  is  exquisite,  and  the  tall 
elms  still  continue  to  rear  their  lofty  heads,  and  verify 


the  truth  of  Mr,  Symond's   observation,  "that   they 
supply  the  place  of  mountains."     The  palace  is  a  noble 


262  THE  BRITISH 

pile^  but  offers  more  to  the  eye  of  an  architectural 
draughtsman  than  to  that  of  the  amateur  landscape- 
painter. 

To  every  one  the  name  of  Wolsey,  the  founder^ 
will  be  familiar;  together  with  those  of  Charles  the 
First,  Cromwell,  and  William  the  Third,  who  made  it 
their  favourite  residence ;  but,  probably,  many  anglers, 
while  pursuing  their  vocation  here,  will  think  less  of 
the  illustrious  dead  than  of  Edward  Jesse,  Esq.,  author 
of  "An  Angler's  Rambles,"  and  "  Gleanings  in  Natural 
History,''  whose  delightful  works  are  well  known  to  the 
lovers  of  nature.  Here  he  resides,  being  conservator  of 
the  queen^s  palaces ;  and  here,  we  conclude,  he  may  be 
often  seen, 

**  Brushing,  with  hasty  steps,  the  dews  away/' 

in  pursuit  of  the  finny  tribes.*  [The  fishermen  are 
William  Wisdom,  Thomas  Davis,  and  Henry  Wignell.] 

HAMPTON. 

One  mile  up  the  river  brings  us  to  this  delightful 
village,  which  has  long  been  the  favourite  resort  of 
anglers.  The  deep  is  three  hundred  and  fifty  yards 
long,  being  from  the  church  to  the  west  side  of  the 
house  of  Henry  Hase,  Esq.     Opposite  the  centre  of  the 

*  Mr.  Jesse,  as  editor  of  the  present  volumei  had  marked  this 
passage  relative  to  himself  for  omission,  but  the  publisher  sees  no 
reason  for  withdrawing  a  compliment  so  richly  deserved. — H.  6.  B. 


ANGLBR^S  MANUAL.  263 

deep  stands  the  villa  formerly  occupied  by  the  British 
Roscius^  and  for  fifty  years  after  his  death  by  his 
widow,  who  retained  her  health  and  faculties  to  the 
great  age  of  ninety-five.  One  of  the  best  pitches  in  the 
deep  is  immediately  opposite  Garrick^s  summer-house 
(see  the  view  opposite  page  182),  where  the  angler,  in 
the  proper  season,  will  meet  with  plenty  of  barbel  and 
roach.  [According  to  the  last  official  list,  the  preserve 
extends  nine  hundred  and  sixty  yards,  being  from  the 
west  end  of  Garrick^s  Lawn  to  the  Tumbling  Bay.] 
The  best  months  are  September,  October,  and  No- 
vember ;  and  the  best  time  is  when  the  water  is  rather 
high,  and  beginning  to  clear  after  a  fresh. 

Excellent  gudgeon -fishing  may  be  had  in  the 
scowers  between  Hampton  and  Sunbury,  from  July  to 
October ;  and  many  perch  are  frequently  taken  while 
fishing  for  gudgeons.  The  principal  inns  are  the  Red 
Lion  and  the  Bell,  the  former  kept  by  Mrs.  Lawrence, 
and  the  latter  by  Mrs.  Bigbee,  where  boats  and  fisher- 
men may  be  procured  [and  also  the  White  Hart] .  Mil- 
bourn  and  Benn  are  two  attentive  and  skilful  fishermen, 
with  whom  I  have  frequently  gone  out.  [There  is, 
also,  William  Cambers,  who  has  the  character  of  being 
equally  intelligent  and  attentive.]  The  charge  for  a 
man  and  punt,  with  ground-bait  and  other  baits, 
is  seven  shillings  and  sixpence. 

Large  trout  are  frequently  taken  here  by  spinning 
the  bleak ;  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Waring  took  one  with  a 


264  THE  BRITISH 

large  soldier  palmer^  which  weighed  upwards  of  six 
pounds ;  but  the  large  trout  will  not  generally  take  the 
artificial  fly.  The  wiers  between  Hampton  Court  and 
Hampton^  and  at  Sunbury^  in  the  months  of  May  and 
June^  contain  some  good  trout. 

The  following  inscriptions  under  the  pictures  of 
fish^  in  the  hall  of  the  Bell  Inn^  will  give  the  angler  a 
promise  of  the  kind  of  fish  he  may  hope  to  take  at 
Hampton : — 

^'A  barbel^  caught  with  roach-tackle^  August  21^ 
1823^  weight  twelve  poimds  and  a  half;  taken  by  Mr. 
Bigbee. 

"  A  pike,  caught  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Waring,  of  Isle- 
worth,  September  12,  1831 ;  weight,  ten  pounds  and  a 
quarter. 

^^  A  barbel,  caught  by  Edwin  Alderman,  of  Barbi- 
can, August  2, 1832 ;  weight,  eleven  pounds  and  a  half. 

"A  bream,  caught  by  C.  Farrer,  Esq.,  September 
19,  1835,  with  roach-tackle;  weight,  six  pounds  and 
three  quarters.'' 

The  village  of  Hampton*  is  a  charming  summer 
retreat  for  the  lover  of  Thames-fishing ;  it  is  the  centre 

*  I  cannot  close  this  short  account  of  Hampton  without  recording 
the  many  pleasant  dinners  I  have  had  at  the  Bell  Inn^  with  my  brethren 
of  the  Walton  and  Cotton  Club,  of  which  I  was  for  many  years  the 
president.  I  look  back  to  them  in  my  old  age  with  much  gratification , 
and  to  the  kindness,  and  I  might  almost  add  affection,  I  received  from 
its  members.— Ed. 


ANQLER^S  MANUAL.  265 

of  a  beautiful  vicinity,  and  within  a  short  walk  of  the 
angling, to  be  found  at  Ditton,  Hampton  Court,  and 
Sunbury. 

SUNBURY 

Is  sixteen  miles  from  London,  and  is  a  pleasant, 
quiet  village,  on  the  Middlesex  side  of  the  Thames. 
Large  trout  are  sometimes  taken  at  the  wier,  and  there 
is  good  gudgeon-fishing  on  the  scowers;  the  deep  is 
two  hundred  yards  long,  and  Ues  opposite  the  church. 
[The  preserve  now  extends  six  hundred  and  eighty-three 
yards  from  the  weir,  eastward,  to  the  east-end  pile  of 
the  breakwater.]  The  inns  are  the  Flower-pot  [the 
Magpie,  and  the  Castle;]  and  the  fishermen,  Robert 
Goddard  [James  Goddard,  Thomas  Milboum,  and 
Thomas  Fulcher]. 

WALTON. 

[This  place  should  be  particularly  noticed,  as  one  of 
the  best  places  for  perch-fishing  on  the  river.  The 
scenery  from  it  is  beautiful,  and  it  has  always  been  a 
favourite  resort  of  anglers.] 

It  is  eighteen  miles  from  London,  on  the  Surrey  side 
of  the  Thames ;  and  has  two  fine  deeps,  one  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  yards,  and  the  other  of  one  hundred 
yards  [at  the  east  of  Tankerville^s,  and  west  of  the 
Horse  Bridge,  called  Walton  Sale ;  preserved] .  They 
abound  in  heavy  barbel,  roach,  dace,  and  chub. 


THK  BRITISH 


The  Duke's  Head  is  resorted  to  by  anglers,  but 
those  who  prefer  a  retired  and  quiet  abode  may  be 
comfortably  loi^d  with  the  fisherman,  Mr,  Rogerson, 
by  the  waterside,  whom  they  will  find  skilfal  and 
attentive.  [George  Wheatley  ia  also  a  fisherman  here.] 
There  is  good  bank-fishing  in  this  vOlege. 

SHEFPEBTON 

Is  nineteen  nules  from  London,  and  is  on  the  same 
side  of  the  river  as  Sunbury.     It  has  the  privilege 
two  extensive  deeps,  termed  the  Old  and  New  Deep 


( 


ANaLEfl's  MANUAL.  267 

the  first  being  two   hundred   and  forty   yards   long 
[called  the  Old  Deep,  east  of  the  Creek  rails],  and  the 


second  two  hundred  yards  long  [called  the  Lower  Deep, 
east  of  the  Drain ;  there  is  also  the  Upper  Deep,  two 
hundred  yards  long :  all  three  are  preserved] .  They 
are  well-stored  with  roach  and  dace,  chub  and  barbel ; 
and  there  is  good  bank-fishing,  on  both  sides  of  the 
river,  for  perch,  chub,  and  jack.  The  village  is  small, 
but  good  acconunodation  will  be  found  at  the  Anchor, 


268  THE  BRITISH 

the  King^s  Anns  [or  the  Crown] .  FiBhermen^  William 
Bogerson  and  Son^  and  Henry^  George^  and  James 
Pordue  [the  latter  the  best  spinners  between  Staines 
and  Richmond.  Shepperton  is  a  place  of  great  resort 
for  first-rate  anglers^  and  here  the  late  Duke  of  Sussex 
might  frequently  be  seen  in  a  punt.  The  horse-shoe 
reach  of  the  riyer  is  quite  beautiful^  and  the  grounds  of 
Oatlands  are  seen  in  the  distance]. 

WEYBBIDOE 

Is  two  miles  beyond  Walton^  and  has  an  extensive 
deep^  being  eight  hundred  yards  from  the  wier  at 
Shepperton  Lock  down  to  Holiday's  Bay  [which  is 
preserved] .  Fishermen,  Harris  [and  Son,  Edward  and 
Greorge  Keen,  WiUiam  Purdue,  and  J.  Milboum.  The 
inns  are  the  King's  Arms,  the  Ship,  and  the  Lincoln 
Arms.     There  is  good  pike-fishing  in  the  back  river]. 

CHERTSEY  BRIDGE 

Is  twenty  miles  from  London,  and  about  half  a  mile 
from  the  town;  but  there  is  a  comfortable  inn,  the 
Cricketers,  near  the  bridge.  There  are  two  deeps  here ; 
one  two  hundred  yards  long,  being  eastward  from  the 
wier;  the  other  one  hundred  and  forty  yards,  being 
from  sixty  yards  westward  to  eighty  yards  eastward  of 
the  bridge.  [According  to  the  official  list,  there  are 
four  hundred  and  forty-five  yards  of  preserved  water 


here,  extendrng  from  the  wier  to  eighty  yards  eastward 
of  the  bri^^.]  There  is  a  small  stream  that  nmB  at  the 
back  of  Chertsey,  called  the  Abbey  Mill  river,  contain- 
ing jack,  perch,  chub.  Sec,  which  are  probably  the 
descendants  of  those  fish  which  fed  the  brethren  of 
that  noble  monastery  which  was  planted  on  its  banks. 
Many  interesting  recollections  belong  to  this  place, 
for 

"  Here  the  last  scceate  aow'd  from  Cowley's  tongue," 


as  we  see  inserted  in  the  walla  of  his  house,  by  the  late 
chamberlain   of  London   (Sir  Richard  Clark),  a  most 


270  THE  BRITISH 

admirable  man  and  brother  angler;  and  Shakespere  has 
given  the  village  immortality  in  his  "Richard  the 
Third/^  The  fishermen^s  names  are  E.  Upjohn  [and 
Son,  J.  Howard,  and  W.  Galloway.  The  inns  are  the 
Cricketers,  Crown,  and  Swan] . 

LALEHAM 

Is  about  a  mile  above  Chertsey  Bridge,  and  is  a 
very  pleasant,  rural  village ;  and  as  the  river  is  here 
narrow  and  shallow,  the  fly-fisher  may  exercise  his  craft 
with  success. 

[Immediately  contiguous  is  Penton  Hook,  where 
there  is  excellent  fishing.  The  waters  are  preserved 
for  eleven  hundred  and  fifty  yards,  extending  from  the 
guard  piles  eastward,  round  the  Hook,  to  the  east  end 
of  the  lock.  Inn,  the  Horse  Shoes.  Fishermen,  the 
Harrises.] 

STAINES, 

In  Middlesex,  is  seventeen  miles  from  London,  and 
was  formerly  much  frequented  for  barbel-fishing,  but, 
since  the  removal  of  the  old  bridge,  the  sport  has 
greatly  declined. 

The  deep  is  one  hundred  and  forty  yards  long,  being 
from  sixty  yards  westward  to  eighty  yards  eastward  of 
the  bridge.  [The  preserve  extends  two  hundred  and 
ten   yards  eastward   of  the  bridge.]      The  principal 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  271 

inns  are  the  Bush  [the  Angel,  and  the  Swan] ,  Fisher- 
men, Thomas  and  James  Fletcher  [and  Charles  Gold- 
hawk  and  Son] .  Since  the  preservation  of  the  Thames 
the  fishing  here  is  much  improved. 

WINDSOR. 

In  the  neighbourhood  of  this  royal  residence  there 
is  excellent  gudgeon-fishing,  and  some  good  trout  are 
frequently  taken. 

[Good  trout  are  frequently  taken  at  the  Eton 
wier,  as  well  as  the  Surley  Hall  wier;  and  there  is 
also  excellent  pike-fishing  in  the  autumn,  as  well  as 
barbel,  near  the  bridge  of  Wiudsor.  The  very  best 
station,  however,  in  this  neighbourhood,  for  those  who 
either  spin  or  fish  with  the  fly  for  trout,  is  at  and  near 
Monkey  Island,  between  Windsor  and  the  pretty  village 
of  Bray.  More  trout,  although  they  do  not  run  very 
large,  are,  perhaps,  caught  in  this  locahty  than  in  any 
other  on  the  river.*  Wilder,  at  Maidenhead,  is  the  best 
man  to  employ,  as  he  is  well  acquainted  with  the  best 

*  The  trout-fishing  in  this  part  of  the  river  is  likely  to  improve,  as 
a  committee  has  lately  been  formed,  mider  the  title  of  **  The  Maiden- 
head Trout  Club,"  for  renting  and  preserving  the  Thames  fisheries  from 
Boulter's  Pool  to  Pevensey  Ditch,  near  Windsor.  The  river  has  been 
staked  to  prevent  netting,  and  the  nets  of  the  late  occupiers  of  the 
fisheries  bought  up.  The  committee  hold  their  meetings  at  the  Orkney 
Arms  Inn,  Maidenhead  Bridge,  and  Charles  Cooper,  Esq.  is  treasurer, 
and  receives  the  subscriptions. — Ed. 


272  THE  BKITI8H 

casts,  and  be  is  unirersally  allowed  to  be  the  neatest 
and  best  spinner  on  the  rirer.  A  novice  cannot  do 
better  than  engage  bis  aerrices  for  a  week,  and  it  will 
then  be  his  own  fault  if  be  do  not  leam  the  "  gentle 
art"  in  perfection.  [Haynes  and  Sons  are  also  fisber- 
men  here,  and  rent  the  watere.} 

I  must  not  quit  Windsor  without  paying  due  honiage 
to  its  magnificent  castle  and  its  beautiful  neighboor- 
hood,  and  of  which  Eton  College  has  been  for  ages 
the  finest  ornament.     Windsor  Castle,  in  its  present 


renewed  and  improved  state,  is  an  object  of  veneration, 
not  less  than  of  grandeur  and  beauty;  and  surrounded 
as  it  is  by  park  and  forest,  green  meadows,  and  golden 


angler's  manual.  278 

corn-fields  (through  which  the  silver  Thames  glides  on 
with  lingering  wave^  as  if  loath  to  leave  the  paradise  he 
decorates)^  is^  perhaps,  unrivalled  in  Europe. 

Many  fine  views  of  its  lofty  towers  and  stately 
battlements  will  be  obtained  from  various  openings  in 
the  forest  (besides  that  of  the  long  walk) ;  but  I  prefer, 
to  any  other,  some  which  are  found  in  the  delightful 
grounds  of  W.  Harcourt,  Esq.,  St.  Leonardos  Hill,  the 
plantations  there  judiciously  hiding  the  town  of  Wind- 
sor, and  giving  the  effect  of  an  abrupt  hill,  crowned 
with  an  interminable  edifice  of  stately  towers  and 
battlements.* 

Maidenhead  is  twenty-six,  and  Marlow  thirty-two, 
miles  from  London,  and  at  either  of  these  pleasant 
places  the  angler  will  find  good  sport,  in  September  and 
October,  in  pike  and  perch-fishing. 

[The  views  of  Taplow,  Cliefden,  and  Hedsor,  as 
seen  from  the  river  above  Maidenhead,  are  most  beauti- 
ful ;  and  Lord  Orkney  is  very  liberal  in  allowing 
anglers  to  fish  in  his  springs,  where  good  sport  is 
generally  to  be  had.] 

Perch  are  taken  near  Marlow  from  three  to  four 
pounds  weight ;  and  in  May  and  June  trout  may  be 
caught  by  spinning  the  bleak.  The  Great  Western  Rail- 
way has  made  Maidenhead  a  resort  for  London  anglers. 

*  The  ''  Lily  of  St.  Leonard's/'  Miss  Dawson,  lived  in  a  smaller 
house,  near  St.  Leonard's  Hill,  and  her  beauty  has  been  celebrated 
both  in  verse  and  prose. — Ed. 

T 


274  THE  BRITISH  ANGLEr's  MANUAL. 

The  Tbames,  at  Reading,  will  afford  little  diversion ; 
but  at  FimgboTtme,  five  miles  beyond  that  ancient 
borough,  the  river  abounds  with  pike,  perch,  barbel, 
roach,  dace,  chub,  &c.,  and  Bometimea  large  trout  are 
taken. 

A  small  stream  enters  the  Thames  at  Pangboume, 
which  contcuns  abundance  of  small  trout ;  but  this  water 
is  private  property.  It  was  fonneriy  rented  by  that 
talented  dramatic  writer  Mr.  Morton,  who  was  very 
liberal  in  granting  p^mission  for  a  day's  sport. 

{The  perch-fishing  here  is  excellent.] 

Beyond  Pangboume  is  the  romantic  village  of 
Streetly,  and  the  angler,  or  lover  of  picturesque  scenery, 
will  be  alike  gratified  by  a  visit  to  this  secluded  spot. 

I  shall  now  take  leave  of  the  Thames,  as  I  am 
unacquainted  with  the  localities  beyond  Streetly. 


CHAPTBE  XIX. 

THE  RIVERS  AND  LAKES  OF  ENGLAND. 

Having  deBcribed  the  Thames,  and  Thames-fiBhing, 
I  now  proceed  to 

THE  RIV&R  L£A. 

This  river  has  its  rise  in  Bedfordshire,  falls  into  the 
Thames  near  Blackwall,  and  is  held,  in  the  opinion  of 
London  anglers,  as  second  only  to  that  noble  river.  It 
is  navigable  from  Hertford  to  Limebouse,  and  flows 
through  a  beautiful  pastoral  country,  adorned  with  vil- 
lages and  noble  mansions,  through  parks  and  meadows, 
containing  countless  herds  of  cattle  and  flocks  of  sheep, 


276  THE  BRITISH 

which  are  bordered  by  the  sloping  hills  and  woods  of 
Epping  Forest  for  some  miles.  In  the  hay-time  these 
charming^  open  meadows^  are  truly  delightful;  and 
those  who  have  wandered  here  have  often  witnessed  the 
truth  of  Thomson's  description  : — 

'*  Now  swanns  the  Tillage  o'er  the  jovial  meadr 
The  rustic  youth,  brown  with  meridian  toil, 
Healthful  and  strong ;  full  as  the  summer  rose, 
Blown  by  prevailing  suns,  tiie  ruddy  maid 
Half  naked,  swelling  on  the  sight,  and  all 
Her  kindling  graces  bummg  o'er  her  cheek : 
E'en  stooping  age  is  here,  and  infant  hands 
Trail  the  long  rake,  or  with  the  fragrant  load 
Overcharged,  amid  the  kind  oppression  roll." 

No  one,  so  circumstanced,  will  wonder  at  the  love 
our  old  master,  Izaak  Walton,  had  for  these  fields, 
which  are  generally  remarkable  for  their  quiet  character, 
and  a  solitude  not  allied  to  melancholy.  In  spring,  the 
angler  may  try  his  art  in  the  Lea,  when  he  is  forbidden, 
by  the  fence-months  of  March,  April,  and  May,  to  wet 
a  line  in  the  Thames,  except  he  is  fishing  for  trout. 

The  shortness  of  the  distance  from  London  is  an- 
other inducement  for  brothers  of  the  angle  to  con- 
gregate on  the  Lea,  the  first  subscription  water,  the 

WHITfi  HOUSE,  HOMERTON, 

being  little  more  than  three  miles  from  London. 

This  water  is  rented  and  preserved  by  Mr.  Beres- 
ford,  and  the  subscription  for  a  year's  angling  is  half-a- 
guinea,  or  a  ticket  for  the  day  may  be  had  for  a  shilling. 


angler's  manual.  277 

White  House  water  lies  between  Stratford  and  Lea 
Bridge,  and  is  near  Homerton.  It  abounds  with  jack 
and  pike,  carp,  barbel,  chub,  perch,  roach,  dace,  eels, 
gudgeon,  and  bleak.  [The  roach  are  said  to  be  re- 
markably numerous.] 

This  water,  and  that  at  Lea  Bridge,  have  the  ad- 
vantage of  being  suppUed  with  fish  from  the  Thames, 
which  is  not  the  case  with  the  waters  higher  up  the 
river,  as  the  wiers  prevent  their  progress  upwards. 

Mr.  Beresford  provides  every  accommodation  for 
anglers,  but  his  house  is  not  an  inn;  nevertheless, 
excellent  tea  may  be  had  at  a  shilling  per  head. 

HORSE  AND  GROOM,  LEA  BRIDGE. 

This  favourite  resort  of  London  fishermen  is  about 
a  mile  above  White  House,  and  is  most  delightfully 
situated,  the  gardens  belonging  to  it  being  almost  sur- 
roimded  by  water,  and  the  place  itseK  is  highly  pic- 
turesque, and  embowered  in  wood,  as  may  be  seen  from 
the  annexed  view. 

The  subscribers  to  this  water  are  very  numerous ; 
they  pay  half  a  guinea  annually,  and  casual  visitors  a 
shilling  for  a  day  ticket ;  the  house  is  kept  by  Messrs. 
Beresford  and  Son,  and  on  most  days,  during  the  season, 
the  angler  will  find  an  ordinary  at  two  o^ clock;  and, 
if  he  be  as  fortunate  as  I  have  been,  will  meet  with 
pleasant  society,  the  subscribers   being  very  sociable 


278  THE  BRITISH 

with  each  other,  as  worthy  brothers  of  the  angle  usually 
are.     The  charges  are  very  moderate. 

The  fish  to  be  met  with  in  this  water  are  the  same 
as  those  already  mentioned  in  the  White  House  water. 
There  are  many  good  roach,  dace,  barbel,  and  gudgeon 
swims,  and  many  excellent  localities  for  pike ;  and  when 
I  last  traversed  the  banks  of  this  pleasant  water,  early 
in  the  September  of  last  year,  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  one  of  the  subscribers,  with  whom  I  had  dined, 
take  a  fine  well-fed  pike,  weighing,  I  should  think, 
from  four  to  five  pounds.  It  is  said  that  the  Lea  is  an 
excellent  school  for  anglers,  and  with  great  justice,  as 
the  fish  are  so  well  fed  naturally,  and  the  water  is  so 
clear,  and  often  low,  that  nothing  but  fine  fishing  can 
succeed,* 

Above  Lea  Bridge  a  considerable  space  of  the  river 
is  free  to  anglers,  but  at 

TOTTENHAM  MILLS, 

Five  miles  from  London,  you  come  to  Tyler's  sub- 
scription water,  and  six  miles  thence  is  Ford's  water ; 
the  house  is  called  the  Blue  House.  The  annual  sub- 
scription is  half-a-guinea   for  bottom-fishing  only,  or 

*  A  chart  of  these  preserved  waters,  and  a  particular  account  of 
the  Tarious  swims,  has  been  published  in  a  small  shilling  manual, 
called,  **  l^ie  Angler's  Companion  to  the  Horse  and  Groom,  Lea 
Bridge,  and  White  Horse  Fisheries.*'  This  may  be  had  at  either  of 
the  houses,  or  of  Mr.  Bazin,  fishing-tackle  manufacturer,  Duncan 
Place,  Hackney. 


i 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  279 

one  guinea  including  trolling.     The  next  subscription 
water  is 

BLEAK  HALL. 

This  house  belongs  to  Mr.  Wicks,  and  is  near  to 
Edmonton  ;*  it  is  pleasantly  situated  close  to  the  water, 
which  is  well  stored  with  fish. 

Upwards  of  two  miles  of  water  are  here  preserved, 
by  uniting  the  water  of  Bleak  Hall  and  that  of  Ching- 
ford,  formerly  Shurey's  water ;  and  this  part  of  the  Lea 
is  well  stored  with  jack  and  pike.  The  subscription  for 
both  waters  is  two  guineas. 

WALTHAM  ABBEY. 

This  place  is  twelve  miles  from  London.  The  water 
here,  for  the  space  of  at  least  two  miles,  belongs  to  the 
government,  and  is  well  preserved.  Permission  to  angle 
must  be  gained  by  application  to  the  master-general,  or 
some  of  the  principal  officers  in  the  ordnance  depart- 
ment :  a  person  of  the  name  of  Bates  is  employed  as 
keeper  of  the  water,  who  will  furnish  the  angler  with 
live  bait  for  perch-fishing,  trolling,  &c.,  and  good  sport 
is  generally  to  be  had.  [Bates  is  deceased,  and  per- 
mission to  fish  in  these  waters  is  no  longer  obtainable.] 

The  village  is   sequestered  and  picturesque;    the 

*  Here  Charles  Lamb  lived,  died,  and  was  buried,  and  the  angler 
should  step  aside  into  the  churchyard,  if  only  to  read  Dr.  Carey's 
beautiful  inscription  on  his  tombstone. — Ed. 


280  THE  BRITISH 

venerable  abbey  and  gateway  (represented  in  the  vig- 
nette at  the  head  of  this  chapter)  give  a  character  of  the 
^^  olden  time''  to  the  scene.  Often  have  I  fished  here 
in  May^  and^  under  the  gentle  influence  of  the  season 
and  the  spot,  recalled  to  mind  the  beautifdl  lines  of  the 
highly  gifted,  but  unfortunate.  Lord  Surrey : — 

**  The  soYte  season  that  bud  and  bloome  forth  bringes. 
With  grene  hath  cladde  the  hyll  and  eke  the  vale ; 
The  nightingaU  with  fetfaers  new  she  singes, 
The  turtle  to  her  mate  hath  told  her  tale ; 
Somer  is  come,  for  ererj  spraye  now  springes, 
The  fishes  flete  with  new  repayred  scale, 
The  adder,  all  her  slough  away  she  flynges, 
The  busy  bee  her  honey  now  she  mynges." 

There  are  several  wiers,  or  tumbling  bays,  here, 
where  large  trout  are  sometimes  taken,  and  the  whole 
of  the  government  water  is  well  stored  with  perch,  pike, 
and  large  chub.  I  speak  of  these  as  most  abundant, 
but  there  is  no  want  of  other  fish,  as  roach,  dace, 
gudgeons.  Sec. 

There  is  an  excellent  inn,  and  the  charges  are  very 
moderate :  the  best  months  for  fishing  at  Waltham 
Abbey  are  September  and  October.  Part  of  the  water 
belonging  to  government  is,  I  beUeve,  rented  by  a  party 
of  gentlemen,  and  preserved  for  trolling. 

BROXBOURNE. 

The  Crown,  kept  by  Mr.  T.  Want,  is  close  to  the 
river,  and  has  the  rural  appearance  of  a  farm-house.     It 


angler's  manual.  281 

is  an  inn  remarkable  for  comfort,  cleanliness,  civility, 
and  attention,  with  very  moderate  charges.  The  con- 
templative angler,  who  seeks  repose  from  the  bustle  and 
cares  of  the  metropolis,  will  be  delighted  with  this  snug 
retreat,  which,  at  the  same  time,  oflfers  the  retirement 
he  desires,  and  the  amusement  he  enjoys. 

The  water  is  well  stored  with  fish,  and  visitors  at 
the  house  have  permission  to  angle,  and  have  live-baits 
found  them,  without  subscription  or  day  ticket. 

A  friend  of  mine  informed  me  that,  in  October  of 
last  year,  one  gentleman  caught  five  brace  of  jack  and 
pike  in  one  day,  in  the  water  belonging  to  the  Crown. 

page's  water. 

The  fishing  here  is  better  than  the  accommodation, 
and  the  best  months  here,  and  at  Broxbourne,  are 
September  and  October.  Above  Page's  the  water  is 
private,  as  far  as  Crane's  lock. 

the  rye  house. 

The  King's  Arms,  near  Hoddesden,  is  kept  by  Mr. 
Teale.  It  is  a  favourite  resort  for  London  anglers, 
and  the  accommodation  is  good.  The  water  is  free 
for  visitors,  and  abounds  with  fish.  I  have  been  told, 
that  in  October  fifty  pounds  weight  of  roach  have 
been  taken  by  one  rod  in  one  day. 

The  river  here,  in  many  parts,  is  very  deep  and 


282  THE  BRITISH 

very  still,  which  accounts  for  the  number  ol  roach  it 
produces. 

BeycHid  this,  to  Ware,  the  water  is,  I  beUere,  private 
property.     Hoddesden  is  seventeen  miles  from  London. 

In  the  chapter  on  troat-fishing,  I  have  akeady 
described  the  streams  in  the  nei^boorhood  of  London, 
and  shall  now  proceed  to  give  some  account  of  the 
rivers  in 

HABfPSHIRE. 

This  has  been  long  considered  the  tront  county, 
par  excellence;  its  streams,  certainly,  rivalling  those  of 
Derbyshire  and  Devonshire,  though  I  cannot  yield  them 
the  preference,*  and  am  inclined  to  think  the  Hamp- 
shire rivers,  being  nearer  to  London  than  the  others, 
have  given  them  precedence  with  the  London  anglers. 

The  principal  rivers  in  this  fine  county  are  the 
Avon,  the  Anton,  the  Test,  and  the  Hitchin,  and  of 
these  the  Test  and  the  Avon  are  the  best  trout-streaois. 
The  Avon  passes  by  Salisbury,  Fordingbridge,  and 
Ringwood,  and  falls  into  the  sea  at  Christchurch. 
Very  fine  trout  and  grayling  are  taken  out  of  the  Avon, 
from   Salisbury  to   Fordingbridge.      The   blue    dun, 

*  Nothing  can  be  better  than  the  trout-fishing  in  some  of  the 
preserves — ^the  Duke  of  Rutland's,  for  instance — ^in  the  Derbyshire 
rivers;  but  it  is  far  otherwise  in  Devonshire,  where  the  trout  run 
small,  and  the  rivers  being  but  little  protected  are  much  poached. 
There  is,  however,  good  fishing  in  Exmoor  Forest,  and  there  is  but 
little  difficulty  in  procuring  a  day's  angling. — Eo. 


ANOLER^S  MANUAL.  283 

No.  4;  and  March  brown.  No.  3,  early  in  the  season; 
and  the  yellow  dun,  No.  7;  and  the  black  or  red 
palmers  in  dark  weather,  and  with  full  water,  may  be 
here  used  to  advantage  through  the  season.  The  go- 
vernor. No.  29;  the  kingdom.  No.  ]3;  and  the  alder 
fly.  No.  24,  are  killing  flies  for  the  Avon. 

In  the  neighbourhood  of  Fordingbridge  the  river 
becomes  sluggish,  and  abounds  with  fine  pike,  and 
about  Christchurch  salmon  are  taken  with  the  fly.* 

The  Test  rises  in  the  north-west  part  of  Hampshire, 
and  falls  into  the  Southampton  water.  The  Anton 
rises  about  twelve  miles  north-east  of  Andover,  from 
two  sources :  one  of  these  passes  Whitchurch,  and, 
meeting  the  Test  at  Wherwell,  proceeds  to  Stockbridge 
and  Rumsey,  where,  at  the  first,  it  forms  several  islands. 
It  is  joined  by  various  streams  from  the  New  Forest  at 
Redbridge,  where  it  forms  the  head  of  the  Southampton 
water. 


'*'  Mr.  Hofland  hardly  does  justice  to  the  Hampshire  rivers.  The 
Avon,  for  instance,  affords,  perhaps,  tlie  best  angling  of  any  river  in 
England.  Nearer  the  Sonthampton  waters,  there  are  some  pools  where 
salmon  are  taken  in  considerable  numbers  by  gentlemen  who  have 
formed  a  club,  and  protect  the  fishery.  In  Sir  Henry  Fane  and  Mr. 
Mills's  waters,  above  the  salmon  pools,  pike  abound  of  a  large  size, 
some  having  been  taken  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  pounds  weight,  and 
none  are  allowed  to  be  taken  that  do  not  weigh  full  six  pounds.  Up- 
wards of  a  hundred  weight  have  been  taken  in  a  day  by  one  rod. 
Higher  up,  trout  end  grayling  abound  nearly  up  to  Salisbury.  The 
beauty  of  the  river,  as  it  flows  and  sparkles  through  the  New  Forest^ 
must  be  seen  to  be  properly  appreciated. — Ed. 


284  THE  BRITISH 


WHITCHUSCH^ 

On  the  Test^  is  fifty-eight  miles  from  London^  and 
the  angler  may  gain  permission  to  fish  by  taking  up  his 
abode  at  the  principal  inn.  About  a  mile  and  a  half  of 
the  water  is  tolerably  well  preserved.  Two  miles  from 
Whitchurch  the  Test  flows  through  the  grounds  of 
Lord  Portsmouth^  where  there  is  fine  fishings  and  a 
proper  application  to  the  Hon.  Newton  Fellowes  will 
seldom  fail  to  procure  a  day's  fly-fishing  in  this  beautiful 
place. 

Lower  down  the  Test^  near  Stockbridge^  a  society 
has  been  formed^  called  the  "  Haughton  Club,''  by  a 
party  of  gentlemen,  and  the  water  is  well  preserved. 
They  meet  early  in  the  spring,  and  I  believe  it  may  be 
truly  said,  they  are  a  band  of  brothers ;  for  one  of  the 
club  informed  me,  that  he  had  never  seen  a  shade  of 
temper,  or  heard  an  unkind  expression,  from  one  to 
another,  since  he  had  been  a  member. 

I  have  been  so  fortunate  as  to  have  seen  their 
commonplace-book,*  in  which  every  member  is  ex- 
pected to  narrate  the  events  of  his  day's  fishing ;  his 
triumphs,  miseries,  &c.;  and  I  was  highly  delighted 
and  amused  with  the  gaiety  and  good  humour  which  I 
found  in  this  witty  and  curious  miscellany.     The  book 

*  Mr.  Penn's  celebrated  *'  Maxims  and  Hints  for  Anglers"  were 
originally  inserted  in  this  book.— Ed. 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  285 

is  also  embellished  with  original  sketches^  by  members 
and  visitors,  of  caricatures,  scenery,  &c. 

In  my  introduction  to  this  work  I  have  attempted  a 
defence  of  the  "Art  of  Angling,^'  and  should  I  have 
there  failed,  I  am  quite  sure  the  following  list  of  names, 
forming  the  Stockbridge  Club,  will  alone  be  a  sufficient 
answer  to  the  sneering  and  prejudiced  caviller,  or  to  the 
morbid  sensibility  of  those  who  contemn  the  "gentle 
craft/' 

The  members  for  the  year  1838  were, — 

The  Earl  of  Hardwicke.  The  Rev.  F.  Beadon. 

Lord  Saltoun.  Francis  Popham,  Esq. 

W.  H.  Whitbread,  Esq.  Colonel  Mudge. 

Henry  Warburton,  Esq.  Colonel  Long. 

Edward  Barnard,  Esq.  John  Jarrett,  Esq. 

-O.  W.  Norman,  Esq.  Richard  Penn,  Esq. 

The  Haughton  is  not  the  only  Society  on  the  Test. 
The  Leckford  Club  could  formerly  boast  of  many  emi- 
nent men,  and  skilful  anglers. 

When  a  fly-fisher  visits  the  Test,  he  must  provide 
himself  with  Mackintosh  boots,  as  the  river  is  bordered 
with  "water  meadows,^'  that  is,  sluices  admit  the  water 
from  the  Test,  for  the  purpose  of  irrigation.  The  clear- 
ness of  the  stream  requires  fine  tackle,  and  rather  small 
flies.  The  fishing  commences  in  April,  but  the  trout 
are  not  in  good  condition  till  the  end  of  May,  or  the 
beginning  of  June. 

In  that  part  of  the  Test  where  I  have  cast  a  hne. 


286  THE  BRITISH 

a  fish  was  not  allowed  to  be  taken  under  a  ponnd 
weight ;  and  the  last  time  I  visited  this  beautiful  stream 
I  killed  twenty-one  fish^  weighing  twenty-four  pounds : 
but  fish  are  frequently  taken  from  three  to  five  pounds 
weight. 

The  grayling  have  not  been  long  introduced  in  the 
Test,  but  they  increased  very  rapidly>  and  attained  a 
lai^  size  there ;  nevertheless,  I  have  been  informed  by 
Sir  Francis  Chantrey,  that,  latterly,  they  have  decreased 
in  number. 

The  flies  I  should  recommend  for  the  Test  are  the 
blue  dun.  No.  4;  the  Carshalton  and  Test-fly,  No.  5; 
the  pale  yellow  dun.  No.  7 ;  the  orange  dun.  No.  8 ; 
the  hare's  ear,  No.  11 ;  the  alder  fly,  No.  24;  the 
Chantrey,  No.  1 ;  and  Hofland^s  fancy.  No.  2.  This 
latter  fly  will  never  fail  as  a  late  evening  fly ;  and  with  a 
fresh  breeze,  in  cloudy  weather,  it  may  be  used  all 
through  the  day.  The  governor.  No.  29,  and  the 
kingdom.  No.  13,  are  also  in  great  favour  for  the 
Test.* 

I  may  here  remark,  that  I  have  omitted  to  name  the 
black  and  red  hackles,  and  shall  continue  to  do  so,  in 
the  list  of  flies  recommended  for  different  rivers,  with 
an  understanding  that  I  consider  these  two  hackles, 
whether  dressed  as  simple  hackles  or  palmers,  as 
standard  flies. 

*  A  natural  fly  on  a  blow  line  is  used  with  great  success  in  the 
Test,  when  the  water  is  calm  and  clear. — Ed. 


anolek's  hancal.  S87 

Some  parts  of  the  Itcbin  are  weli  stored  with  trout; 
and  near  Southampton,  many  salmon  and  salmoQ-trout 
are  taken,  but  chiefly  by  traps  and  nets.  I  shall  now 
commence  with  the  northern  rivers  and  lakes,  for  the 
purpose  of  a  more  equal  division  of  the  embellishments ; 
but  this  want  of  a  conaecntive  account  will  not  incon- 
venience the  reader,  as  I  purpose  giving  a  copious 
general  index,  by  which  any  lake,  river,  or  county  may 
be  referred  to  at  once.  The  annexed  woodcut  is  one 
of  the  sluices  on  the  Test,  &om  a  sketch  by  Sir  Francis 
Chantrey. 


288  THE  BRITISH 


CUMBERLAND. 

This  county,  so  remarkable  for  the  beauty  of  its 
scenery,  and  for  its  numerous  lakes  and  trout-streams^ 
receives  annually  a  great  influx  of  tourists,  artists, 
amateurs,  and  anglers.  The  chief  rivers  are  the  Eden, 
the  Eamont,  the  Petterill,  the  Irthing,  the  Caldew,  the 
Derwent,  and  the  Irt. 

The  lakes  of  Cumberland  are  a  great  source  of 
attraction  to  the  general  tourist,  but  more  especially  to 
the  landscape-painter,  the  amateur,  and  the  fly-flsher ; 
as  they  afford  endless  employment  to  the  sketcher,  and 
capital  sport  to  the  angler. 


THE  EDEN 

Has  its  source  in  the  moors  of  Westmoreland,  near 
Kirkby  Stephen,  and  passes^  the  romantic  town  of 
Appleby,  vnth  its  lofty  and  picturesque  castle,  from 
whence  it  winds  through  delightful  wooded  glens^  till 
it  reaches  the  magnificent  ruins  of  Brougham  Castle,  a 
little  below  which  it  is  joined  by  the  Lowther  and  the 
Eamont. 

After  this  increase  to  its  waters,  it  runs  by  Kirk- 
Oswald  and  the  beautiful  grounds  of  Nunnery ;  thence 
to  Corby  Castle,  and,  receiving  the  Petterill,  it  passes 
Carlisle,  almost  washing  the  base  of  its  ancient  castle. 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  289 

from  whence  it  is  navigable  to  its  mouthy  where,  meet- 
ing the  Esk,  the  two  rivers,  in  conjunction,  form  the 
great  Firth  of  Solway. 

The  Eden  is  an  excellent  trout-stream,  and  will  well 
repay  the  angler,  from  Appleby  to  Corby  Castle,  by 
tracing  the  banks  of  the  river  a  distance  of  twenty 
miles.* 

On  visiting  this  river,  the  angler,  artist,  or  amateur, 
would  find  Kirkoswald,  about  six  miles  from  Penrith, 
convenient  head-quarters  for  a  few  days.  Well  do  I 
remember  the  primitive  landlady  of  the  little  inn  there, 
when  I  complained  that  the  port  was  new,  assuring  me 
"  she  knew  better  than  that,  for  she  had  seen  it  bottled 
herself  at  Penrith  six  months  ago.^'  She,  however, 
made  me  very  comfortable;  and  with  Eden  salmon. 
Fell  mutton,  and  abundance  of  delicious  mushrooms,t 
I  fared  sumptuously,  and  with  remarkably  moderate 
charges. 

*  The  Eden  also  flows  close  to  Eden  Hall,  the  seat  of  Sir  George 
Musgrave,  Bart.,  near  Penrith,  and  in  no  part  of  its  course  does  it  flow 
with  more  beauty^  and  the  angling  in  this  locality  is  excellent.  In  this 
hospitable  mansion,  also,  is  the  luck  of  Eden  Hall,  celebrated  by  Sir 
Walter  Scott  in  his  "  Marmion/'  The  fountain  is  shewn  where  the 
fairy  deposited  the  cup,  or  luck,  and  the  prophecy  concerning  it  is  as 
follows :  — 

''When  this  cup  doth  break  or  fall. 
Farewell  the  luck  of  Eden  Hall.'*—  Ed. 

-f-  Mr.  Holland  should  have  procured  more^  instead  of  mushrooms, 
the  former  being  found  in  great  quantities  in  the  meadows  on  the  banks 
of  the  Eden.— Ed. 

U 


290  THE  BRITISH 

Kirkoswald  is  within  a  pleasant  walk  of  two  miles  to 
the  romantic  grounds  of  Nnnnery^  and  only  half  a  mile 
from  the  Eden ;  a  small  stream  runs  through  this  little 
town^  and  works  two  or  three  very  picturesque  mills, 
well  worthy  of  the  pencil. 

The  grounds  of  Nunnery  belong  to  H.  Aglionby, 
Esq.^  M.P.^  and  nature  and  art  have  rendered  them 
equal  to  any  thing  of  the  kind  in  England.  A  small 
river  (the  Croglin)  passes  through  woods^  and  over 
rocks  and  stones^  forming  innumerable  cascades  of  great 
beauty,  and  after  winding  its  way  through  these  £ury 
scenes^  falls  into  the  Eden,  which  borders  this  northern 
Paradise. 

CORBY  CASTLE, 

The  residence  of  Philip  Howard,  Esq.,  M.P.,  is 
about  two  miles  lower  down* the  stream,  and  stands 
on  a  high  rock,  between  the  river  and  the  village  of 
Corby.  The  grounds,  for  their  extent,  are  of  extreme 
beauty,  being  adorned  with  wood,  rock,  and  water,  in 
perfection. 

Opposite  to  Corby  is  the  village  of  Wetheral,  and 
in  the  church  is  an  affecting  monument  to  the  memory 
of  the  late  Mrs.  Howard,  thought  to  be  the  chefd^eeu&re 
of  the  sculptor  Nollekens. 

I  have  never  been  so  fortunate  as  to  fish  the  Eden 
in  spring,  which  is  the  best  season,  but  I  have  had 
excellent  sport  in  September,  and  the  flies  used  were 


angler's  manual.  291 

the  different  duns^  particularly  the  pale  yellow;  all 
made  hackles  on  small  Kirby-sneck  hooks^  together 
with  the  dotteril ;  wren's  tail,  and  grouse  hackles,  with 
Hofland^s  fancy.  No.  2,  and  a  very  small  coch-a- 
bonddu. 

Very  fine  salmon  and  salmon-trout  are  taken  in  the 
Eden,  of  most  excellent  quality. 

THE  EAMONT 

Has  a  very  short  course  before  it  falls  into  the 
Eden,  below  Brougham  Castle,  where  it  has  received 
the  Lowther.  Its  source  is  the  lake  of  Ulswater,  from 
which  it  issues  at  once  a  considerable  stream,  passing 
Pooley  Bridge  and  Balemain,  the  seat  of  W.  Hasell, 
Esq.,  and  winding  through  beautiful  meadows,  often 
fringed  by  the  elegant  birch  and  graceful  alder,  falls 
into  the  Eden  at  Ednel. 

The  flies  recommended  for  the  Eden  will  suit  the 
Eamont. 

THE  PETTERILL. 

This  little  river,  so  particularly  famous  for  the  ex- 
cellence of  its  trout,  rises  on  the  moors,  and  passes 
near  Greystock  Park,  in  which  is  situated  the  castle  of 
that  name,  the  noble  baronial  residence  of  Henry 
Howard,  Esq.,  who  has  greatly  added  to  its  beauty  and 
convenience,  without  destroying  its  character  as  a  cas- 


292  THE  BmiTISH 

tellated  numnoo.  The  park  and  grounds  are  of  great 
extent^  and  beantifblly  wooded,  and,  firam  their  elevated 
situation,  form  a  fine  feature  in  the  distant  landscape ; 
the  two  ornamental  pieces  of  water,  immediately  below 
the  stately  terrace  at  the  back  of  the  castle,  abonnd 
with  troat,.and  I  have  fireqaently  had  the  pleasure  of 
taking  out  a  handsome  dish  of  fish  before  breakfast, 
with  a  very  small  wren's  tail  and  grouse  hackle  for  my 
flies,  when  I  have  been  enjoying  the  hospitality  of  the 
liberal  owner  of  the  casde. 

The  Petterill  passes  the  villages  of  Greystock,  Sal- 
keld,  and  Newbiggin,  and  fidk  into  the  Eden,  about  a 
mile  above  Carlisle.  In  addition  to  the  flies  already 
mentioned  for  the  Eden,  I  must  add  a  great  favourite 
with  Cumberland  anglers,  in  the  spring  and  early 
summer. 

Body.     Ostrich  herl,  made  short. 

Legs.     A  black  hackle. 

Wings.  The  light  part  of  a  starling's  wing,  or  that 
of  a  dotteril. 

Hooks.  No.  8,  9,  or  10. 

THE  IBTHING 

Rises  in  the  north-east  of  the  county,  and  passing 
Lanereost  Priory,  and  Naworth  Castle  (one  of  the  few 
inhabited  ancient  castles),  proceeds  to  Brampton,  and 
falls  into  the  Eden,  below  Corby  Castle. 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  29S 


THE  CALDEW 

Has  its  source  somewhere  among  the  Skiddaw  fells, 
and,  passing  under  Carrick  fell,  runs  due  north,  till  it 
falls  into  the  Eden,  a  little  distance  below  Carlisle. 

The  Caldew  runs  through  a  wild  and  unfrequented 
district  till  it  reaches  Rose  Castle,  the  palace  of  the 
Bishop  of  Carlisle,  and  deservedly  one  of  the  lions  of 
the  vicinity  of  that  ancient  city.  It  is  a  good  trout- 
stream,  and,  at  certain  seasons,  is  visited  by  salmon  and 
sea-trout. 


THE  DERWENT 

Rises  in  the  mountains  at  the  head  of  Borrowdale, 
and  after  winding  its  pure  transparent  stream  through 
that  wild  and  beautiful  valley,  it  falls  into  Derwent- 
water,  and,  leaving  that  lake  at  Keswick,  is  soon  after 
joined  by  the  Greta,  and  passing  through  Bassing- 
thwaite  water,  becomes  a  considerable  river;  and,  for 
England,  may  be  called  a  good  salmon-stream ;  but 
those  who  have  fished  for  salmon  in  Scotland  and  Ire- 
land will  be  disappointed  with  the  Derwent. 

[I  can  by  no  means  agree  with  the  sort  of  negative 
praise  given  by  Mr.  Hofland  to  the  Derwent,  with  the 
exception  of  what  he  says  of  the  beautiful  scenery 
through  which  it  passes ;  nor  can  an  angler,  in  search 


294  THE  BRITISH 

of  the  picturesque  and  good  angling  at  the  same  time^ 
do  better  than  wander  along  the  banks  of  the  Derwent 
from  Bassingthwaite  water  to  Workington,  at  which 
place  this  river  falls  into  the  Solway.  Not  excepting 
even  the  Tweed,  I  much  question  whether  better  salmon- 
fishing  can  be  had  in  Scotland  than  is  to  be  met  with 
in  the  Derwent  between  Workington  and  the  salmon- 
wier,  certainly  Httle  more  than  a  mile  in  extent,  but  in 
the  months  of  September  and  October  affording  first- 
rate  sport  to  a  good  artist,  who  may  take  salmon  of  a 
large  size.  Sea- trout,  or  sewen,  are  also  in  great 
abundance  earlier  in  the  year ;  as  are  also  trout  above 
the  wier  up  to  Bassingthwaite.  The  fishery  has  been 
rented  of  the  Lowther  family  by  the  present  tenant  and 
his  family  for  a  very  long  period,  and  if  the  salmon 
caught  are  either  paid  for  or  returned,  there  is  no 
difficulty  in  procuring  leave  to  fish. 

Workington,  until  the  present  railway  was  made, 
might  be  considered  as  a  place  difficult  of  access.  It 
may  now  be  reached  from  London  in  a  day ;  and  there 
is  no  salmon-fisher  who  goes  there,  but  will  thank  me 
for  the  information  now  given. — ^Ed.] 

The  scenery,  however,  is  beautiful  in  the  extreme 
throughout  its  whole  course,  and  it  contains  fine  trout, 
and  innumerable  brandlings,  or  skeggers.  Flies  for 
the  Derwent  may  be  something  larger  than  those  re- 
commended for  the  Eden.  In  the  month  of  April  the 
Derwent  will  furnish  excellent  minnow-fishing. 


angler's  manual.  295 


THE  IRT 

Has  its  source  amidst  the  savage  mountains  that 
border  Wast-water ;  and^  after  leaving  the  dark  waters 
of  that  dreary  lake^  and  passing  Gosforth  and  Irton^ 
falls  into  the  Irish  Sea  near  Ravenglass.  This 
stream  runs  a  short  course^  but  its  immediate  con- 
nexion with  the  sea  supplies  it  with  fine  salmon  and 
sea-trout. 

THE   FKINCIPAL  LAKES  IN  CUMBERLAND 

Are  Ulswater,  Thirlmere,  or  Leathers-water^  Derwent- 
water^  Bassingthwaite-water,  Buttermere^  Crummock- 
water,  Lowes-water,  Ennerdale-water,  Wast-water, 
Blter-water,  and  Devock-water.  In  addition  to  these, 
there  are  several  small  lakes  or  mountain  tarns^  most  of 
them  situated  at  a  considerable  elevation  above  the  sea ; 
and,  with  few  exceptions,  they  are  well  stored  with 
trout.  All  the  above  lakes  contain  trout,  and  most  of 
them  pike,  perch,  and  eels ;  Ulswater,  Buttermere,  and 
Crummock-water  have  charr. 

I  shall  now  proceed  to  notice  those  in  particular 
where  the  angler  may  expect  spoi-t,  or  the  artist  find 
subjects  for  his  pencil. 

ULSWATER 

Is  the  largest,  and,  in  my  opinion,  the  finest,  of  the 
Cumberland  lakes ;  and  although  that  facetious  brother 


296  THE  BRITI8H 

of  the  angle^  Stephen  Oliver  the  younger^  has  given  us 
a  phtyful  account  of  a  dispute  between  Keswick  lake  and 
Ulswater  for  pre-eminence,  which  was  finally  decided^ 
and  sentence  pronounced  accordingly,  '^  that  they  were 
equal  in  point  of  attraction,^^  I  am  still  disposed  to 
bestow  the  palm  on  Ulswater. 

This  beautiful  lake  is  ten  miles  long;  at  its  foot 
stands  Pooley  Bridge,  a  small  village,  where  the  tourist 
will  find  a  respectable  inn.  Formerly,  when  this  house 
was  kept  by  Russell,  I  frequently  made  it  head-quarters, 
and  have  enjoyed  many  a  breakfast  after  a  morning's 
fishing,  of  broiled  trout  and  perch,  cooked  to  perfection; 
and  after  a  hard  day  on  the  lake  I  have  returned  with 
fifteen  or  twenty  brace  of  well-fed  trout  in  my  creel,  to 
dine  upon  Ulswater  eels  and  five-year-old  Fell  mutton. 

Pooley  Bridge  is  only  five  miles  from  Penrith,  and 
about  four  from  Lowther  Castle ;  it  is  also  a  convenient 
point  from  which  to  visit  Hawes-water,  and  the  river 
Eamont  runs  by  the  inn  garden.  Boats  for  viewing  the 
lake,  or  for  angUng,  may  be  hired  of  the  landlord ;  and 
my  friend  Tom  Watts,  who  is  acquainted  with  every 
shoal  or  bay  where  a  trout  can  be  found,  will  prove  an 
excellent  and  useful  guide  to  the  angler:  for  it  would 
be  hopeless  to  expect  success  in  so  large  a  water  without 
local  knowledge  of  the  lake.  The  lower  end  of  Uls- 
water, near  Pooley  Bridge,  abounds  with  fine  perch, 
but  I  never  had  any  sport  with  the  fly  till  I  reached 
Ramsbeck  or  Water-milloch,  about  three  miles  from 


/ 


J 


angler's  manual.  297 

Pooley ;  but  from  thence  to  Patterdale  (the  head  of  the 
lake)  there  are  many  fine  reaches  and  bays  on  both 
fiides  of  it.  But  my  own  favourite  haunts  have  been 
near  John  MarshalFs^  Esq.^  at  Halsteads^  from  whence 
the  accompanying  view  of  Ulswater  is  taken^  and  iinme- 
diately  above  and  below  Lyulph^s  Tower,  a  shooting  re- 
sidence of  Henry  Howard's,  Esq.,  of  Greystock  Castle. 
In  the  bay  below  the  tower  I  never  remember  to  have 
fished  without  success. 

It  is  always  to  be  taken  for  granted,  that  in  this 
lake,  and  all  others,  a  tolerably  fresh  breeze  is  indis- 
pensably necessary  to  success ;  for  without  a  consider- 
able curl  on  the  water  the  fish  will  not  rise  at  the  arti- 
ficial fly :  the  angler  must  not  allow  himiself  to  be  dis- 
appointed, even  if  he  finds  a  dead  calm,  for  on  the 
lakes  it  is  often  succeeded,  within  half  an  hour,  by  a 
glorious  dancing  of  the  waters. 

During  a  calm,  if  the  visitant  have  two  strings  to 
his  bow,  he  may  employ  his  pencil,  for  I  am  not  ac- 
quainted with  finer  lake  scenery  than  the  succession  of 
sublime  views  that  present  themselves,  in  approaching 
Patterdale  from  Lyulph's  Tower. 

If  a  dead  calm,  therefore,  annoy  the  fisher,  it  will 
delight  the  artist,  as  the  lakes  are  never  seen  to  so  much 
advantage  as  when  the  woods  and  mountains  are  doubled 
by  reflexion;  these  reflexions  give  a  breadth  to  the 
scene  and  a  character  of  repose,  truly  charming. 

The  various  atmospheric  phenomena  so  frequent  at 


298  TH£  BRITISH 

the  lakes  produce  an  unceasing  variety  of  lights  shade, 
and  colour,  such  as  the  passing  shadows  of  clouds  sail- 
ing on  the  lofty  sun-lit  mountains,  or  the  summer 
shower  attracted  to  the  mighty  Helvellyn,  spreading  its 
thin  mist  on  the  distant  hills,  and  increasing  their  ap- 
parent magnitude. 

Opposite  to  Lyulph's  Tower  is  Place-fell,  a  bold 
mountain,  throwing  its  broad  rugged  breast  far  into  the 
lake;  whilst,  on  your  right,  the  majestic  Helvellyn 
rises  pre-eminent  over  the  encircling  hills — St.  Sunday, 
Nameless,  Catchedecam,  and  the  lower  woody  slopes  of 
Gowbarrow,  Glencoin,  and  Stybarrow  Crag. 

Stybarrow  is  a  picturesque  rugged  rock,  richly 
clothed  with  deep  foliage,  jutting  into  the  lake,  and  on 
a  calm  day  the  reflexions  in  the  water  are  perfectly 
magical;  every  object  is  defined  in  that  clear  mirror 
with  a  distinctness  I  have  never  seen  equalled  elsewhere, 
so  that  you  seem  to  glide  between  a  world  above  and  a 
world  below,  forgetting  to  which  you  belong. 

Glencoin,  a  romantic  valley,  in  which  is  placed  one 
of  the  most  picturesque  farm-houses  in  Cumberland, 
must  not  be  neglected  by  the  artist ;  nor  must  Airey 
Force  be  forgotten.  A  road  leads  to  it  from  Lyulph's 
Tower :  it  is  a  noble  waterfall. 

Proceedmg  over  Stybarrow  Crag,  we  come  to  Glen- 
ridden,  the  beautiful  residence  of  the  Rev.  Heniy 
Askew ;  next,  pass  the  seat  of  William  Marshall,  Esq., 
M.P. ;  and  then  reach  the  church  and  village  of  Pat- 


angler's  manual.  299 

terdale^  and  find  an  excellent  inn,  where  the  traveller 
will  secure  every  comfort^  and  many  inducements  to 
make  this  wild  and  secluded  spot  a  resting-place. 
Boats  for  fishing  may  be  had  here  as  at  Fooley  Bridge. 
The  following  lines  will  shew  that  the  poet,  Cum- 
berland, entertained  the  same  opinion  that  I  do  as  to 
the  superiority  of  Ulswater  over  the  other  lakes  of  this 
district : — 

"  Thee,  savage  Wybum,  now  I  hail, 
Delicious  Grasmere's  calm  retreat, 
And  Keswick's  sweet  fantastic  vale. 
And  stately  Windermere  I  greet ; 

But  let  her  naiads  yield  to  thee. 

And  lowly  bend  the  subject  knee. 

Imperial  lake  of  Patrick's  dale ; 
For  neither  Scottish  Lomond's  pride. 
Nor  smooth  Killamey's  silver  tide, 
Nor  aught  that  learned  Poussin  drew. 
Or  dashing  Rosa  flung  upon  my  view, 
Shall  shake  thy  sovereign  undisturbed  right, 
Great  scene  of  wonder  and  sublime  delight !" 

April  and  May  are  the  best  months  for  fly-fishing 
here,  as  elsewhere ;  but  I  have  never  been  so  fortunate 
as  to  visit  Cumberland  at  that  trouting-season.  I  have, 
however,  for  many  years  enjoyed  what  is  here  termed 
the  latter  season, — that  is,  September,  and  the  begin- 
ning of  October ;  and  I  can,  with  confidence,  recom- 
mend the  following  flies: — 

Four  flies  may  be  used,  and  the  first,  or  stretcher, 
may  be  No.  39,  the  dotteril-hackle  ;  the  first  drop-fly. 


I  MI  »insa 

c.*Af i.>.  No.  38 ;  ikc  «raad  drop,  ikt  pngtx- 
>^.  37 :  aiA  ihe  liuid  drop,  a  iMiDcr  %,  with 
t^eoek'i  htii  both-,  and  a  MMiUa^t  ^iog- 
■  ix»  cjn  far  Twicd  whh  the  rach-a-boDddn, 
:Le  Cu^nry.No.  1  ;  Edmondfloa's  Wdah  fly, 
the  ald^-fly,  Xo.  34  nried.  bj-  makii^  the 
m  the  red  fc«:iter  of  a  putjidse'a  ramp ;  and 
s  dres^  n  rtll  be  found  a  killii^  At  in  most 
li^  lakes  ;  the  smemor,  \o.  S9 ;  the  haieV 

No.  11,  dressed  on  a  No.  8  bocA;  and  a 
'tuekle,  M  ith  ^pare  onn^  silk  bod^.  I  shall 
e  tnT  lift,  not  d->abting  bai  that  tbeae  flies, 
iDformatkiu  aimo^  alwars  to  be  gained  on  the 

serve  for  tbe  lakes  of  the  nonhem  eonoties. 


THIBLMEBE,  OB  LEATH ES-WATEB, 

d  a  little  to  the  Kft  of  the  road,  about  half-tny 
\inbl(.'9ide  and  Keswick ;  it  is  two  miles  and 
leDgth,  and  Grom  a  qnarter  to  half  a  mile  in 

restem  shore  is  irregular,  being  formed  with 
ntiftil  bays,  from  whence  Helveltrn  is  seen  in 
ijesty.  A  singular  Alpine  bridge,  eonneeting 
at-stretched  promontories,  cuts  the  lake  into 
Y  equal  parts.  Tim  water  contains  trout,  and, 
perch  and  pike  also ;  but  <rf  this  I  am  on- 
lever  having  fished  in  it. 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  301 


KESWICK  LAKE^  OR  DBRWENT-WATER, 

Is  within  half  a  mile  of  the  town  of  Keswick,  which, 
together  with  Ambleside,  have  long  been  the  prin- 
cipal resting-places  for  tourists  to  the  lakes.  Keswick 
is  sixteen  miles  from  Ambleside,  eighteen  from  Penrith, 
and  twenty  from  Workington.  The  two  principal  inns 
are  the  Royal  Oak  and  the  Queen^s  Head;  both  of 
which,  during  the  height  of  the  season,  are  full  to  over- 
flowing ;  and  on  one  occasion  I  could  not  procure  a  bed 
at  either  of  these  houses,  and  was  obliged  to  have 
recourse  to  the  King^s  Head,  kept  by  Mr.  Bowles, 
where  I  found  so  much  comfort  and  attention,  that  I 
have  on  three  subsequent  visits  made  use  of  this  clean, 
quiet,  and  unpretending  house.* 

Keswick  is  a  great  resort  of  the  Cambridge  reading 
men,  who  sojourn  here,  with  their  tutors,  during  the 

*  No  honest  angler  will  visit  the  beautifdl  scenery  of  Keswick 
without  seeing  the  house  of  Robert  Southey,  and  his  grave  in  the 
parish  church  of  Crosthwaite. 

Southey  was,  perhaps,  one  of  the  most  voluminous  as  well  as  one 
of  the  most  agreeable  writers  of  any  age.  As  a  biographer,  his  lives 
of  Nelson,  Chatterton,  Kirke  White,  Wesley,  and  Cowper,  will  always 
delight  the  reader.  He,  besides,  laboured  in  almost  every  other  de- 
partment of  literature,  till  at  last  his  fine  mind  became  obscured  by 
over-mental  exertion,  and  he  sank  under  it. 

As  a  poet,  he  had,  as  has  been  truly  said  of  him,  ^*  an  exuberance 
of  imagination  seldom  equalled,  and  a  mastery  of  versification  never 
surpassed ;  and  as  a  prose  writer,  at  once  elegant  and  forcible,  his 
name  will  endure  as  long  as  the  language  in  which  he  wrote.*' — Ed. 


302  THK  BK1T18H 

long  vacation.  Hey  have  private  lodgings,  of  which 
there  are  many  in  the  town,  and  they  dine  together  at  a 
sort  of  tabk  d^h6te  at  the  Boyal  Oak,  and  add  consi- 
derably to  the  gaiety  ci  the  town.  There  is  a  maaeum, 
kept  by  Mr.  Daniel  Crosthwaite,  which  is  well  wcnrth 
seeing;  and  no  one  should  enter  Keswick  without  as- 
scending  Skiddaw. 

This  ascent  may  be  made  on  horseback  by  ladies 
with  perfect  safety,  and  the  view  from  its  summit  is  one 
of  the  finest  in  the  kingdom. 

It  is  now  twenty-eight  years  since  I  first  ascended 
this  mountain ;  I  had  a  friendly  guide  (Mr.  D. 
Crosthwaite),  and  our  first  object  was  to  see  the  sun 
rise  from  Latrig  (Skiddaw^s  cub) ;  but  when  we  reached 
that  elevation  we  were  disappointed,  as  the  cloudy  cap 
of  Skiddaw  began  to  descend  and  obscure  the  sun.  We 
were  soon  enveloped  by  a  damp  mist ;  but,  as  my  com- 
panion was  well  acquainted  with  the  way,  we  con- 
tinued to  ascend,  and  by  six  o'clock  a.m.  we  had 
reached  the  summit.* 

Soon  afterwards  the  day  began  to  clear,  and  as  the 
white  curtain  of  clouds  that  floated  beneath  us  ap- 
peared to  move,  we  gained  occasional  glimpses  of  the 
sparkling  sun-lit  lake  and  vale  of  Keswick,  seen  through 

*  No  one  should  attempt  the  ascent  of  Skiddaw  or  the  Saddleback 
vrithout  an  experienced  guide.  Persons  are  saddmly  enyeloped  in 
clouds  and  mists,  and  one  felse  step  may  occasion  a  fractured  limb  or 
the  loss  of  life.  Accidents  have  frequently  occurred  for  want  of  the 
precaution  now  recommended. — Ed. 


angler's  manual.  303 

nstas  of  the  rolling  clouds ;  and  as  these  openings 
closed  others  succeeded^  producing  the  most  magical 
effects.  At  one  moment  the  houses  in  Scotland  were 
distinctly  seen^  and  as  suddenly  withdrawn ;  at  another 
the  wild  mountains  of  Borrowdale  appeared  in  all  their 
majesty,  thus  giving  a  succession  of  the  most  enchanting 
scenes. 

The  wind  was  high  and  cold^  so  that  we  were  glad 
to  take  shelter  under  the  small  pile  of  stones  on  the  top 
of  the  mountain,  where  we  enjoyed  our  breakfast  of 
bread  and  cheese  and  brandy,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
the  magnificent  moving  panorama  before  us.  We 
remained  under  shelter  from  the  wind  till  the  clouds 
had  entirely  dispersed,  and  we  had  an  uninterrupted 
view  of  the  boundless  prospect  around  us.  Looking 
towards  the  south-east  were  seen  the  mountains  Grise- 
dale  Pike,  and  Causey  Pike,  and  the  vale  of  Newlands, 
backed  by  the  Fells  of  Buttermere ;  and  at  our  feet 
Bassingthwaite  lake ;  a  little  more  southward,  imme- 
diately under  the  eye,  were  seen  Keswick,  Derwent- 
water,  and  the  gorge  of  Borrowdale ;  to  the  left  of  these 
Lowdore,  Wallow  Crag,  and  above  them  the  towering 
Helvellyn.  To  the  east  lay  the  rugged  Saddleback, 
and  the  long,  lofty  range  of  Cross  Fells ;  northward  we 
saw  the  shining  Solway  Firth,  and  the  hills  of  Dum- 
bartonshire. 

We  now  commenced  a  search  for  dotterils,  one  of 
our  principal  objects  in  ascending  Skiddaw,  as  they  are 


304  THE  BRITISH 

scarce  birds,  and  only  found  near  the  summits  of  high 
mountains,  and  the  feathers  are  much  prized  by  fly- 
fishers.  My  companion  had  told  me  these  birds  were 
said  to  haTC  a  singular  habit  of  imitating  any  action  they 
might  happen  to  see ;  and  soon  afterwards,  about  three 
hundred  feet  below  the  top  of  the  mountain,  his  quick 
eye  discovered  one  of  them  within  gun-shot.  As  I  was 
in  possession  of  the  only  gun,  he  cautioned  me  not  to 
miss  it,  and  induced  me,  for  the  purpose  of  making 
sure,  to  fire  at  it  sitting,  but  the  moment  I  presented 
my  gun,  the  creature,  as  if  in  mockery,  stretched  out 
one  leg  and  one  wing  to  their  full  extent,  in  so  lu- 
dicrous a  way,  that  I  missed  my  bird  by  a  hearty  fit  of 
laughter.  We  were,  however,  soon  after,  more  for- 
tunate, and  returned  to  Keswick  about  noon  with  a 
brace  of  these  scarce  and,  to  the  angler,  valuable  birds. 

The  artist  and  amateur  will  find  more  to  interest  him 
here  than  the  fly-fisher,  as  Derwent-water  will  afford 
Uttle  sport,  for  the  number  of  pike  keep  down  the 
trout ;  but  early  in  the  season,  i.  e.  in  April  and  May, 
large  trout  may  be  taken  by  spinning  the  minnow,  or 
brandling,  with  a  long  line  from  the  stem  of  a  boat^ 
rowed  slowly  along  the  lake. 

Pleasant  parties  are  formed  for  the  ladies  in  summer, 
for  perch-fishing,  when  great  quantities  are  sometimes 
taken;  they  are  small,  and  are  called  by  the  natives 
bass.  The  eels  in  this  lake  are  excellent,  and  are 
sometimes   caught  with  trimmers,  from  two  to   four 


angler's  manual.  305 

pounds  weight ;  and  pike  have  been  taken^  by  trolling^ 
twenty  pounds  weight. 

A  Keswick  visitor  must  not  neglect  seeing  Apple- 
thwaite-gUl  and  Mill-beck,  two  wild  iravines  of  Skid- 
daw,  embellished  with  wood,  water,  and  picturesque 
cottages.  The  former  was  thought  so  highly  of  by  that 
distinguished  amateur,  the  late  Sir  George  Beaumont, 
Bart.,  that  he  purchased  it,  to  prevent  the  possible 
chance  of  its  destruction  by  the  hands  of  a  modem  im- 
prover. The  road  to  these  glens  winds  along  the  side  of 
Skiddaw,  at  a  considerable  elevation,  and  is  of  a  terrace- 
like character,  presenting  a  succession  of  the  most  de- 
lightful scenery  in  this  romantic  district.  My  limits 
will  not  allow  me  to  enter  more  into  detail,  but  every 
information  the  tourist  may  want  will  be  readily  ac- 
quired on  the  spot. 

BASSINGTHWAITE- WATER 

Is  four  miles  north  of  Derwent-watcr,  about  four  miles 
long,  and  nearly  one  mile  broad.  It  contains  trout, 
pike,  perch,  and  eels,  and  salmon  sometimes  enter  into 
the  Derwent.  The  only  house  where  the  angler  can  be 
accommodated  is  Bassingthwaite  Hall ;  but  the  lover  of 
trolling  will  be  recompensed  for  some  inconveniences 
by  the  capital  jack  and  perch-fishing  he  will  meet  with. 

BUTTERMERE. 

The  nearest  way  to  this  lake  is  through  the  beau* 


306  THE  BRITISH 

tiful  vale  of  Newlands ;  the  distance  from  Keswick  is 
ten  miles.  It  is  surronnded  by  the  lofty  rugged 
mountains  of  Haystacks,  High-crag,  High-stile,  and 
Red-pike;  its  length  is  one  mile  and  a  quarter,  its 
breadth  about  half  a  mile.  The  fish  it  contains  are 
trout,  pike,  perch,  and  eels ;  but  it  is  so  narrow,  and 
surrounded  by  such  lofty  hills,  that  the  angler  wiU 
seldom  find  sufBcient  breeze  for  his  purpose.  The  inn 
stands  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  lake,  and  is  tolerably 
comfortable :  it  had  formerly  some  notoriety,  as  the 
residence  of  Mary,  the  unfortunate  beauty  of  But- 
termere.  I  saw  her  in  the  year  1809,  after  her  un- 
happy marriage  with  Hatfield  the  swindler,  who  had 
paid  the  forfeit  of  his  life  some  years  before ;  she  had 
then  married  a  respectable  person,  lived  at  the  inn  with 
her  parents,  and  acted  as  waiter.  She  was  remarkably 
grave,  and  had  something  dignified  in  her  manners 
She  was  tall  and  well  formed,  but  I  saw  little  of  the 
beauty  for  which  she  had  been  celebrated. 


CRUMMOCK- WATER 


Is  about  one  mile  from  Buttermere ;  it  is  three  miles 
long,  and,  on  the  average,  half  a  mile  broad.  It  is 
bounded  on  all  sides,  save  the  north,  by  lofty  mountains  ; 
and  about  a  mile  beyond  the  foot  of  the  lake,  at  Scale 
Hill,  is  a  most  excellent  inn,  where  the  traveller  of  any 
grade  will  find  good  living,  cleanliness,  and  civility. 


angler's  manual.  307 

with  the  most  reasonable  charges.  The  angler  or 
artist  will  find  this  house  delightful  head-quarters,  from 
whence  he  may  visit  the  neighbouring  lakes  of  But- 
termere,  Crummock-water,  and  Lowes-water  :  the  fish- 
ing in  all  these  lakes  is  capital,  more  especially  for 
pike. 

Notwithstanding  the  tyrant  pike  are  so  abundant, 
these  waters  are  well  supplied  with  trout  from  their  nu- 
merous small  tributary  streams.  The  views  from  a  lofty 
wooded  hill  close  to  the  inn  are  of  the  most  sublime  de- 
scription ;  and  that  in  particular  from  a  seat  called  after 
John  Marshall,  Esq.  (the  proprietor  of  this  fine  estate), 
is  one  of  the  most  magnificently  beautiful  in  this  ro- 
mantic region.  Scale-force  is  a  fine  waterfall,  about  a 
mile  from  Crummock-water,  and  is  well  worth  visiting. 
The  flies  recommended  for  Ulswater  will  serve  for 
these  and  all  the  other  Cumberland  and  Westmoreland 
lakes. 

Ennerdale-water,  Wast-water,  Elter-water,  and  De- 
vock,  may  be  visited  en  route  from  Scale  Hill ;  and  of 
these  lakes,  all  containing  trout,  the  last-mentioned 
will  be  found  to  produce  the  largest,  the  reddest,  and 
best-flavoured  trout  in  Cumberland.  The  proprietor, 
Edward  Stanley,  Esq.,  strictly  preserves  the  water.  Of 
the  last  named  lakes,  Wast-water  is  remarkable  for  the 
wild  and  savage  character  of  its  scenery. 


308  THE  BRITISH 


WESTMORELAND. 

The  principal  rivers  of  this  county  are  the  Eden^ 
the  Ken  or  Kent,  the  Lone,  the  Lowther,  the  Brathey, 
and  the  Rothay. 

Hie  Eden  has  already  been  noticed.  The  Kent 
rises  in  the  vale  of  Kentmore,  and,  passing  through  the 
small  lake  of  that  name,  is  joined  by  the  streams  of 
Longdeddle  and  Grayng,  and  on  reaching  Kendal  has 
become  a  considerable  river;  from  thence  it  passes 
Milnthorpe,  and  fiills  into  the  Lancaster  sands.  This 
river  abounds  with  trout  of  an  excellent  quality,  and 
formerly  was  well  supplied  with  salmon  and  sahnon- 
trout;  but  of  late  years  the  erection  of  several  high 
wiers  has  prevented  these  valuable  fish  from  making 
their  way  up  the  river. 

[Mr.  Hofiand  must  have  known  but  Uttle  of  the 
river  Kent  when  he  says  that  salmon  and  sea-trout 
have  been  prevented  making  their  way  up  the  river  of 
late  years,  in  consequence  of  the  erection  of  several 
high  wiers. 

Those  who  have  visited  Levens,  the  interesting  seat 
of  Mrs.  Greville  Howard,  near  Milnthorpe,  will  have 
seen  the  river  Kent  flowing  in  front  of  the  house,  and 
wending  its  way  beautifally  through  the  park.  There 
is  a  picturesque  salmon-leap  at  the  extremity  of  the 
park,   with   fine  rocks   and   noble  trees   overhanging 


ANOLER^S  MANUAL.  309 

them;  and  here^  also^  are  some  deep  pools^  where 
salmon-fishing  may  be  had  in  great  perfection^  and  in 
the  more  shallow  parts  there  is  good  trout-fishing. 

The  house  at  Levens  must  not  pass  unnoticed^  as  it 
is^  perhaps^  at  present  one  of  the  most  curious  and 
interesting  to  be  found  in  this  country.  It  is  of  the 
earliest  style  of  architecture, — indeed  so  early,  that  its 
date  can  only  be  guessed  at.  The  most  scrupulous 
care  and  attention  are  bestowed  in  keeping  it  up,  as 
well  as  the  formal  gardens,  with  the  high-chpped  horn- 
beam hedges,  and  the  grotesque  figures  in  box  and 
holly. 

The  house  is  entered  by  a  noble  hall,  with  an  oriel 
window  on  one  side.  The  hall  is  hung  with  primitive 
armour,  mihtary  weapons,  and  many  antique  curiosities. 
To  the  left  are  two  fine  drawing-rooms,  with  furniture 
of  the  early  ages,  all  in  character  with  the  house ;  but 
the  most  striking  parts  of  them  are  the  mantelpieces, 
which  reach  to  the  cieling.  On  the  sides  of  each  are 
figures  in  black  oak,  the  size  of  life,  and  as  finely  and 
sharply  cut  as  if  they  were  of  marble.  The  other 
ornaments  are  equally  curious,  having  armorial  insignise 
and  black-letter  mottoes,  surrounded  with  oak  carvings. 
It  is  difficult  from  memory  to  pursue  the  description  of 
the  house,  with  its  turrets,  baronial  servants'  hall 
(where  a  properly  introduced  visitor  is  treated  with 
cui'ious  old  ale,  called  Hercules,  and  expected  to  diink 
'^  Success  to  the  House  of  Levens  as  long  as  the  Kent 


310  THE  BRITISH 

flows/'  from  a  curious  old  glass  in  the  shape  of  a  post- 
man's horn).  But  the  library  must  not  be  forgotten. 
It  is  a  large  and  curious  room^  full  of  early,  and  many 
of  them  black-letter  books,  and  where  there  are,  no 
doubt,  Caxtons  and  Wynkyn  de  Wordes,  and  '^the 
booke  of  St.  Albans  enprynted  at  Westmestre,  with 
the  treaty se  of  fysshynge  with  an  angle/' 

It  is  hoped  that  this  digression  will  be  excused,  as 
I  am  sure  that  every  angler  who  visits  the  lakes  will 
thank  me  for  calling  his  attention  to  this  interesting 
locaUty. — 'Ed.'] 

The  flies  used  by  the  natives  in  this  part  of  the 
country  are  all  hackles,  and  generally  on  very  small 
Kirby-sneck  hooks:  the  following  list  will  answer  for 
this  and  other  small  rivers  in  this  part  of  the  country. 

The  brown  shiner.  No.  14 ;  coch-a-bonddu.  No.  35, 
dressed  on  a  No.  12  hook;  ginger-hackle.  No.  37; 
grouse-hackle.  No.  38;  wren-tail.  No.  19;  and  dotteril- 
hackle.  No.  39 ;  all  on  small  hooks,  and  with  little  or 
no  body. 

THE  LUNE 

Rises  on  the  moors  near  Kirkby  Stephen,  and  pass- 
ing Kirkby  Lonsdale,  through  a  most  beautiful  coun- 
try to  Lancaster,  soon  afterwards  falls  into  the  Irish 
Sea. 

This  fine  river  abounds  with  excellent  trout  through- 
out its  course ;  and  near  Lancaster  with  salmon,  salmon- 


angler's  manual.  311 

trout,  and  morts.  For  trout,  the  flies  recommended  for 
the  Kent  will  answer ;  and  for  salmon-trout  and  morts 
the  following  may  be  used  :  — 

No.  1.  Body*     Purple  mohair,  ribbed  with  silver 

twist. 
Wings.  A  turkey's  feather. 
No.  2.  Body.     Bed  mohair. 

Wings.  The   grey   feather    of  a    mallard's 

wing. 

THE  LOWTHER 

Has  its  source  in  two  mountain  tarns,  at  the  head  of 
Mardale,  called  Small-water  and  Blea-tam,  and,  pass- 
ing through  the  dale,  enters  Hawes-water,  and  running 
by  Bampton,  reaches  the  magnificent  castle  and  grounds 
of  the  Earl  of  Lonsdale,*  and  the  secluded  village  of 
Askem.  Proceeding  onward,  it  visits  Bird's  Nest,  the 
seat  of  Lord  Brougham  and  Vaux,  and  soon  after  falls 
into  the  Eamont  at  Brougham  Castle. 

There  is  great  variety  in  this  beautiful  httle  river ; 
it  has  its  source  among  the  loftiest  mountains  and  most 
awful  solitudes  of  Westmoreland,  and  it  winds  its  varied 
stream  through  pastoral  meadows,  till  it  adds  beauty  to 
the  splendour  of  Lowther  Castle,  and  gaiety  to   the 


*  The  angler  in  the  Lowther  should  see  the  noble,  natural  terrace 
at  Lowther  Castle,  and  the  many  line  pictures  which  decorate  its 
walls. — Ed. 


312  THS  BRITISH 

aeqnestration  of  Askem,  and^  finally^  gives  its  waters 
to  the  Eamont,  at  the  site  of  that  noble  min^  now 
slowly  Hinting  to  decay.  Few  places  of  the  same  de- 
scription boast  more  beauty  and  interest  than  Brougham 
Castle;  and  often  have  I  contemplated  the  proud  towers 
and  massiye  walls  of  this  once  hospitable  and  noble 
residence^  whilst  angling  at  the  confluence  of  the  Low- 
ther  and  Eamont^  with  feelings  allied  to  melancholy, 
yet  not^  therefore,  unpleasing  or  unprofitable. 

THE  BOTHAT 

Rises  near  Dunmail  Baise^  on  the  descent  from  which 
it  receives  several  mountain  torrents,  and,  passing 
through  the  lakes  of  Grasmere  and  Bydal-water,  it 
joins  the  Brathay,  and  their  united  streams  fall  into 
Windermere.  These  two  small  streams  abound  with 
trout. 


THE  LAKES  OF  WESTMORELAND. 

The  principal  lakes  of  Westmoreland  are  Ulswater, 
Hawes-water,  Brother-water,  Grasmere,  Rydal-water, 
and  Elter-water.  As  Ulswater  has  already  been  de- 
scribed, I  shall  commence  with 

HAWBS-WATER. 

This  lake  is  not  so  much  frequented  by  tourists  as 


angler's  manual.  313 

many  possessing  fewer  attractions ;  the  cause  of  which 
I  should  ascribe  to  its  being  more  difficult  of  access^ 
and  from  the  want  of  a  respectable  inn,  for  the  only 
public-house  in  M ardale,  at  the  head  of  the  lake,  is  of 
the  most  humble  description.  It  is  true  the  traveller 
will  find  every  attention  and  accommodation  in  the 
power  of  the  landlady  to  offer,  and  the  charges  are 
quite  as  humble  as  the  house.  I  took  up  my  abode 
there  for  three  days  in  the  summer  of  1837,  and  was 
deeply  impressed  with  the  wild  grandeur  and  awful 
stillness  of  this  sequestered  spot. 

The  best  approach  to  Hawes-water  is  from  Pooley 
Bridge  or  Penrith ;  from  the  former  place  it  is  twelve, 
from  the  latter  sixteen  miles.  It  is  three  miles  long, 
and,  on  the  average,  half  a  mile  across ;  looking  towards 
Mardale  the  scene  is  truly  magnificent.  Harter  Fell, 
High  Street,  and  Kidsey  Pike,  are  all  grand  mountains 
at  the  head  of  the  lake,  forming  a  bold,  impressive 
background. 

This  water  belongs  to  the  Earl  of  Lonsdale,  who 
has  a  boat-house  and  keeper  upon  it,  and  permission  to 
fish  may  be  obtained  by  application  to  this  person,  who 
provides  a  boat  and  a  waterman ;  but  the  angler  would 
attain  his  object  much  sooner,  and  feel  himself  more 
independent,  if  his  lordship  (with  that  kind  consider- 
ation he  usually  practises)  permitted  the  innkeeper  of 
Mardale  to  supply  his  wants.  The  fishing  is  excellent, 
as  the  water  is  better  preserved  than  Ulswater  or  any 


314  THE  BRITISH 

other  of  the  hikes^  with  the  exception  of  Devock-watar. 
The  flies  used  are  the  same  as  for  Ulswater. 

At  the  upper  end  of  Mardale^  at  a  considerable 
eleration,  are  two  little  lakes,  or  tams,  called  Small- 
water  and  Blea-tam ;  they  are  fiill  of  troat,  easily  taken 
with  a  fresh  breeze,  but  of  very  indifferent  quality. 

BROTHER- WATER 

Is  a  small  lake  which  lies  near  the  road  between 
Fatterdale  and  Ambleside,  being  about  seven  miles 
distant  from  the  latter  place ;  it  is  surrounded  by  lofty 
hills,  and  affords  some  good  subjects  for  the  artist.  I 
have  never  cast  a  fly  upon  it,  although  I  have  more 
than  once  exerdsed  my  pencil:  it  contains  trout  and 
eels. 

GBASMEBE. 

This  small  but  beautiful  lake,  about  four  miles  from 
Ambleside,  was  elegantly  eulogised  by  Gray,  and  has 
acquired  additional  celebrity  by  being  for  many  years 
the  residence  of  our  great  moral  poet,  Wordsworth,  who 
is  now  removed  to  Rydal  Mount,  where  I  trust  he  will 
long  breathe,  with  the  air  of  his  native  mountains,  the 
pure  spirit  of  poetry.  Every  tourist  who  visits  the 
lakes  should  find  a  comer  in  his  portmanteau  for 
'^  Wordsworth^s  Excursion." 

The  Red  Lion,  which  stands  about  a  hundred  yards 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  315 

from  Grasmere  churchy  is  a  good  situation  for  those 
who  wish  to  ramble  in  the  delightful  vicinity  of  this 
secluded  vale. 

EYDAL-WATER, 

Two  miles  from  Ambleside^  is  beautifully  situated.  It 
is  something  more  than  a  mile  in  lengthy  and  less  than 
half  a  mile  in  breadth ;  it  contains  two  finely  wooded 
islands^  and  offers  altogether  a  very  lovely  scene.  Both 
these  lakes  contain  trout,  pike,  perch,  and  eels.  [The 
waterfalls  near  Mr.  Wordsworth's  house  should  be 
«een.] 

WINDERMERE 

Is  the  largest  of  the  English  lakes,  being  fourteen  and 
a  half  miles  long,  and,  in  some  parts,  nearly  two  broad. 
It  contains  several  beautiful  islands  (one  of  which  is 
inhabited  by  the  ancient  family  of  the  Curwens) ;  and 
at  Low-wood  Inn,  about  two  miles  from  Ambleside,  the 
scenery  is  truly  charming.  Immediately  opposite  the 
inn  is  seen  the  head  of  the  lake,  bordered  by  rocks, 
woods,  and  the  sloping  lawns  of  Calgarth,  the  seat 
of  the  late  Bishop  of  Llandaff  (Watson),  backed  by 
the  curiously-formed  mountains  called  Langdale  Pikes. 
Some  of  the  finest  views  of  this  favourite  lake  may  be 
had,  from  various  points,  in  the  ascent  to  Troutbeck,  a 
most  picturesque  village,  about  three  miles  from  the 
inn.     [The  whole  of  the  Troutbeck  valley  is  well  worth 


316  THE  BKITISH 

seeing^  and  the  atream  which  runs  through  it  oontaim 
some  of  the  hirgest  trout  found  in  Westmorefauid.] 

Low-wood,  or  Ambleside,  are  alike  exceDent  stations 
for  visiting  the  neighbouring  lakes  of  Coniston,  £lter- 
water,  Grasmere,  Rydal,  and  Windermere.  Tins  large 
lake  claims,  I  must  confess,  rather  the  attention  of  the 
amateur  than  the  angler ;  for,  although  many  parts 
abound  in  pike,  perch,  and  the  delicious  charr,  the  fly- 
fisher  is  very  likely  to  be  disappointed. 

[The  Royal  Hotel,  kept  by  Mr.  UUock,  at  Bowness, 
is  an  excellent  station  for  an  angler.  His  beds  are 
good,  his  charges  moderate,  and  his  entertainment  ex- 
cellent. He  is  the  chief  purveyor  of  potted  charr  and 
small  Westmoreland  hams  in  this  part  of  the  lakes. 
He  supplies  boats  for  anglers  on  the  lake,  and  gingles 
to  convey  them  to  more  distant  fishing  stations. — ^£d.] 

ELTER-WATER 

Is  a  small  lake  near  Loughrigg-Tam,  and  but  a  short 
distance  from  Ambleside  or  Low-wood.  It  is  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  several  mountain  tarns,  all  of 
them  affording  sport  to  the  fly-fisher,  whilst  the  artist 
will  find  himself  planted  amongst  the  most  sublime 
scenery,  Langdale  Pikes  being  seen  to  great  advantage 
from  this  small  but  beautiful  lake. 


i 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  317 

NORTHUMBERLAND. 

The  principal  rivers  in  this  county  are  the  Tyne,  the 
Alon,  the  Blythe,  the  Wensbeck,  the  Coquet,  the  Der- 
went,  the  Alne,  the  TiU,  and  the  Wooler.     Of  these,  the 
Coquet  rises  in  Roxburghshire,  but  within  the  limits  of 
this  county,  flowing  south-east  below  Rothbury,  and 
reaches  the  sea  at  Warkworth,  near  which  are  the  re- 
mains of  the  Hermitage, — a  singular  building,  to  which 
an  interesting  legend  is  attached  :  it  is  a  place  of  great 
resort,  and,  perhaps,  the  only  one  of  its  description  in 
England.     At  Pelton  Bridge,  which  the  Coquet  passes, 
excellent  trout  and  salmon  are  taken.     The  Till  and  the 
Wooler  are  also  capital  streams  for  trout,  sea-trout,  and 
whitlings  or  whitings ;  but  as  I  do  not,  in  this  case, 
speak  from  experience,  I  shall  quote  that  lively  and 
agreeable   brother  of  the  angle,  Stephen   OUver    the 
younger,  who,  in  his  '*  Recollections  of  Fly-fishing  in 
Northumberland,^'  &c.,  has  given  an  excellent  account 
of  the  three  last-named  rivers;  and  I  should  recommend 
the  northern  tourist  to  furnish  himself  with  his  enter- 
taining and  instructive  pocket  volume : — 

''  Towards  the  end  of  July,  or  the  beginning  of 
August,  I  have  been,  for  some  years  past,  accustomed 
to  take  a  trip  into  Roxburghshire,  to  spend  a  few  weeks 
with  a  friend ;  and,  as  I  travel  at  my  leisure,  I  always 
enjoy  a  few  days'  fishing  by  the  way.  Sometimes  I 
pitch  my  tent  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Weldon  Bridge, 
for  the  sake  of  a  cast  in  the  Coquet ;  sometimes  I  take 


318  THE  BBITISH 

up  my  quarters  with  honest  Sandy  Macgregor^  at  the 
Tankerville  Arms,  Wooler,  to  enjoy  a  few  days'  fishing 
in  the  Glen  and  the  Till;*  and,  occasionally,  I  drive  up 
to  Yetholm,  to  have  a  day's  sport  in  the  Bowment,  with 
that  prince  of  gypsies  and  prince  of  fishers,  old  Will 
Faa,  as  good  a  fly-fisher  as  is  to  be  met  with  between 
Berwick  and  Dumfries,  in  which  tract  of  country  are  to 
be  found  some  of  the  best  anglers  in  the  kingdom/' 

There  are  not  many  trout-streams  in  England  more 
likely  to  afford  a  week's  recreation  to  the  fly-fisher  than 
the  Coquet ;  nor  would  it  be  an  easy  matter  to  point 
out  a  river,  on  the  whole,  more  interesting,  and  afford- 
ing better  sport.  The  angler  may,  undoubtedly,  take 
larger  trouts  at  Driffield ;  and,  from  streams  more 
secluded,  bring  home  a  heavier  creel ;  but,  for  a  week's 
fair  fishing,  from  Linnshiels  to  Warkworth,  the  Coquet 
is,  perhaps,  surpassed  by  none.  The  natural  scenery  of 
its  banks  is  beautiful,  independent  of  the  interest  ex- 
cited by  the  ruins  of  Brinkbum  Priory,  and  the  Her- 
mitage of  Warkworth ;  and  its  waters, ''  clear  as  diamond 
spark,"  present,  in  their  course,  every  variety  of  smooth 
water,  rapids,  and  pools,  for  the  exercise  of  the  angler's 
skiU. 

The  flies  recommended  by  Oliver  for  these  streams 
are  such  as  I  should  myself  have  used,  t.  e.  the  red  and 
black  hackle,  with  the  wren-tail,  the  grouse,  and  the 
dotteril. 

*  The  Till  affords  excellent  angling,  both  trout  and  salmon ;  and 
it  abounds  with  perch  of  a  large  size. — Ed. 


anglek's  manual.  319 

The  two  following  flies  are  also  recommended  for 
sea-troat  in  these  rivers,  viz. : — 

No.  1,  Body.  Flos  silk,  of  a  dull  willow-green 
colour,  mixed  with  a  little  brown  crewelling,  ribbed  with 
bright  brown  silk. 

Wings.  From  the  dappled  feather  of  a  silver 
pheasant. 

Tail  or  Wisk.  Three  black  hairs  from  the  tail  of  a 
shepherd's  dog. 

No.  3.  Body.  Brown  flos  silk,  mixed  with  a  little 
bear's  fur  of  a  darker  ahade,  and  wrapped  with  dark 
purple  or  lake-coloured  silk. 

Wings.    The  yellowish-brown  feather  of  the  dotteril. 

Wiak.     As  above. 

The  Tyne,  so  long  famous  for  its  salmon  fishery,  has 
been  greatly  injured  by  the  traffic  at  its  mouth,  and  es- 
pecially by  the  increase  of  steam-boats.  Very  few  sal- 
mon, comparatively  speaking,  are  now  taken  in  the  Tyne. 


320  THE  BRITISH 

DURHAM. 

The  rivers  of  this  county  are  not  capital  trout- 
streams  ;  but  the  scenery  on  the  banks  of  the  Tees  and 
the  Wear  is  of  the  most  varied  and  beautiful  description. 
These  two  rivers,  with  the  Bandor,  the  Lune,  and  the 
Skene,  are  the  chief. 

THE  TEES 

Rises  on  Stanemore,  in  Cumberland ;  and  at  Barnard 
Castle,  which  it  half  encircles,  the  artist  will  find  abun- 
dant scope  for  his  pencil.  Passing  by  Rokeby  Park, 
the  scene  of  Sir  Walter  Scott's  poem,  it  receives  the 
Greta  from  Yorkshire,  and,  proceeding  on  its  rapid 
course  by  Raby  Castle  and  Stockton,  soon  falls  into 
the  sea. 

THE  WEAR 

Has  its  source  also  in  the  Cumberland  moors ;  it  passes 
the  park  of  Bishop's  Auckland,  where  it  receives  the 
Guanless,  and  follows  a  winding  course,  in  deep  dales, 
till  it  reaches  Durham ;  flowing  under  the  hill  on  which 
stands  the  castle  and  cathedral,  forming  altogether  an 
unrivalled  landscape. 

About  four  miles  below  Durham  are  the  ruins  of  an 
abbey,  where  there  is  excellent  fly-fishing,  and  the  ruin 
is  well  worthy  the  attention  of  the  artist  and  the  anti- 
quary. This  river  also  runs  through  the  park,  and 
near  Lambton  Castle,  the  magnificent  mansion  of  the 
Earl  of  Durham.     Near  its  confluence  with  the  sea  it 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  321 

is  crossed  by  an  iron  bridge,  of  great  architectural 
beauty,  beneath  which  vessels  may  pass  in  full  sail ;  it 
consists  of  a  single  arch,  which  spans  two  hundred  and 
thirty-six  feet,  and  rises,  at  its  centre,  one  hundred  feet 
above  high- water  mark. 


LANCASHIRE. 


The  rivers  of  this  county  are  the  Mersey,  the  Irwell, 
the  Leven,  the  Wyre,  the  Lune,  the  Kent,  the  Ribble, 
and  the  Duddon ;  of  these,  the  Lune  and  the  Kent 
have  been  already  noticed  as  belonging  to  West- 
moreland. 

THE  MERSEY 

Rises  on  the  west  side  of  Blackstone-edge,  and,  after 
receiving  many  smaller  streams,  becomes  a  navigable 
river  of  great  commercial  importance,  pursuing  its 
course  till  it  reaches  the  splendid  port  of  Liverpool. 

THE  IRWELL 

Has  its  source  on  the  moors  which  divide  Yorkshire 
and  this  county,  and,  after  receiving  two  or  three  tri- 
butary streams,  passes  Manchester,  where  it  is  joined  by 
the  Irk  and  the  Medlock,  from  whence  it  flows  westerly 
till  it  falls  into  the  Mersey. 


322  THE  BRITISH 


THE  LEVEN 


Rises  in  Westmoreland,  and,  passing  through  Grasmere 
and  Rydal-water,  falls  into  Windermere;  and  thence, 
passing  Newby  Bridge,  runs,  together  with  the  Crake, 
from  Coniston-water,  into  the  sea  at  Leven  Sands. 

THE  WYEE 

Is  composed  of  several  small  rivulets  from  the  moors 
dividing  Yorkshire  and  Lancashire ;  it  passes  Garstang, 
and  forms  its  estuary  near  Foulton.  It  abounds  with 
trout  and  brandlings. 

THE  BIBBLE 

Rises  on  the  Yorkshire  moors,  in  the  district  of  Craven; 
and,  after  passing  through  forty  miles  of  that  county, 
enters  Lancashire  at  CUtheroe,  receiving  the  West 
Calder  in  its  way  before  reaching  Ribchester,  whence  it 
flows  through  Ribblesdale,  and  thence  by  Preston;  soon 
after  which,  receiving  the  Darron,  its  estuary  forms  a 
noble  arm  of  the  sea,  discharging  itself  by  a  broad 
sandy  outlet,  after  flowing  through  a  vale  of  great  fer- 
tility and  beauty.  This  river  is  famous  for  its  fine 
salmon,  and  many  parts  of  it  abound  with  trout.  The 
flies  recommended  for  the  Kent  and  the  Lune  will 
answer  for  the  Ribble. 

THE  DUDDON 

Rises   near  the  borders   of  Westmoreland  and   Lan- 


angler's  manual.  323 

cashire^  and  has  been  immortalised  by  the  beautiful 
sonnets  of  Wordsworth.  After  a  short  course  it  falls 
into  the  Irish  Sea.  It  is  well  supplied  with  salmon^ 
salmon-trout,  and  trout. 

[The  Duddon  is  but  little  visited  by  anglers,  in 
consequence,  probably,  of  the  difficulty  of  access  to  it. 
Indeed,  its  course  cannot  be  followed,  except  by  a  pe- 
destrian, and  then  the  wild  and  romantic  scenery 
through  which  it  passes  will  amply  repay  the  difficulties 
which  may  be  met  with.  Here  are  no  snug  inns  for 
anglers,  such  as  good  Izaac  Walton  describes ;  but  the 
traveller  must  trust  to  the  hospitality  of  the  owners  of 
small  farm-houses :  nor  will  he  be  disappointed,  for 
nothing  can  exceed  the  kindness  and  hospitality  of 
the  Dalesmen.'] 

"  SONNET. 

TO   THE    RIVER   DUDDON. 

"  My  frame  hath  often  trembled  with  delight 
When  hope  presented  some  far-distant  good 
That  seemed  from  heaven  descending — ^like  the  flood 
Of  yon  pure  waters,  from  their  aery  height 
Hurrying,  with  lordly  Duddon  to  unite ; 
Who,  'mid  a  world  of  images  imprest 
On  the  calm  depth  of  his  transparent  breast, 
Appears  to  cherish  most  that  torrent  white. 
The  fairest,  softest,  liveliest  of  them  all ! 
And  seldom  hath  ear  listenM  to  a  tune 
More  lulling  than  the  hum  of  noon, 
Swoln  by  that  voice — whose  murmur  musical 
Announces  to  the  thirsty  fields  a  boon, 
Dewy  and  fresh,  till  showers  again  shall  fall." 


324  THE  BRITISH 

THE  LAKES  OF  LANCASHIRE. 

The  lakes  of  Lancashire  are  Windermere  (already 
described)^  Coniston-water^  Esthwaite*water^  and  Le- 
vers-water. 

CONISTON-WATER 

Is  eight  miles  from  Ulverstone,  and  about  the  same 
distance  from  Ambleside;  it  is  five  miles  in  lengthy 
and  is  said  to  produce  the  best  charr  in  England.  At 
Coniston-water  head  is  a  good  inn,  where  the  tourist 
may  generally  be  suppUed  with  charr  (which  is  here 
kept  in  preserves)  and  Fell  mutton  for  his  dinner.  This 
delicious  fish,  formerly,  was  only  caught  in  nets,  in 
the  months  of  November  and  December,  but  they  are 
now  frequently  taken  by  spinning  the  minnow,  with  a 
long  line  from  the  stem  of  a  boat  rowed  slowly  along 
the  lake.  There  are  also  trout,  pike,  perch,  and  eels, 
in  abundance. 

The  scenery  here  is  of  a  very  grand  character,  some 
of  the  finest  mountains  in  Cumberland  coming  into 
view,  at  different  stations,  on  the  borders  of  the  lake. 
Near  to  the  inn  rises  abruptly  a  singularly  shaped 
mountain,  called  "  the  Old  Man,^^  which  forms  a  very 
bold  feature  in  the  landscape. 

ESTHWAITE- WATER 

Is  about  two  miles  long,  and  half  a  mile  broad,  and 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  325 

is  bordered  by  a  good  road  leading  to  Ulverston.  It  is 
situated  in  a  pretty  pastoral  valley,  and,  in  passing 
round  the  lake,  the  tourist  will  observe  three  remote, 
but  distinct,  distances, — the  Langdale  Pikes,  the  Fells 
of  Grasmere,  Rydal,  and  Ambleside ;  Gummer^s  How, 
and  these  mountains,  from  many  stations  near  the  lake, 
form  very  pleasing  subjects  for  the  pencil.  This  water 
affords  much  better  sport  to  the  angler  than  either 
Coniston  or  Windermere ;  the  fish  are  pike,  trout,  and 
perch.  [Pike  of  an  unusually  large  size  are  frequently 
taken.] 

LEVERS- WATER  AND  LOW-WATER 

Are  two  small  lakes,  well  stored  with  trout,  which 
may  be  very  easily  visited  from  Coniston-water  head ; 
the  road  leading  to  them  is  steep,  wild,  and  picturesque, 
winding  along  the  side  of  the  Old  Man. 

I  shall  now  bid  adieu  to  the  English  lakes,  with 
regret  that  I  have  been  compelled  to  give  so  imperfect 
an  account  of  them.  I  have  visited  this  beautiful  part 
of  our  country  for  many  successive  years,  and  every 
time  with  increased  pleasure  and  interest. 


326  THE  BRITISH 


YORKSHIRE. 

This  extensive  county  contains  within  itself  every 
variety  of  landscape  scenery  to  be  found  in  Great 
Britain. 

The  chief  rivers  are  the  Don,  the  Calder,  the  Aire, 
the  Hodder,  the  Ribble,  the  Wharfe,  the  Nid,  the 
Ure,  the  Swale,  the  Ouse,  the  Hull,  the  Tees,  and  the 
Humber. 

The  Ribble  and  the  Tees  have  been  already  men- 
tioned, and  as  the  Don,  the  Calder,  the  Ouse,  and  the 
Humber,  are  not  trout-streams,  but  navigable  rivers 
only,  I  shall  confine  my  remarks  to  those  rivers  where 
the  angler  and  the  artist  may  find  exercise  for  the  fly 
and  the  pencil. 

THE  WHARFE, 

One  of  the  most  beautiful  and  varied  streams  in  this 
or  any  other  county,  has  its  source  in  the  high  moors 
of  the  north-west  part  of  the  West  Biding,  and,  ajfter 
receiving  many  tributary  rivulets  as  it  runs  through  a 
wild  country,  it  passes  Kilsey  Crag,  a  singularly  bold 
rock;  from  thence,  after  leaving  Bardon  Tower,  it 
enters  the  tremendous  gorge  called  the  Strid,  me- 
morable for  the  melancholy  legend  which  was  the 
origin  of  the  monastery  at  Bolton,  to  which  place  it 


ANGLEB^S  MANUAL.  327 

now  proceeds  with  a  widening  and  brawling  stream^ 
between  banks  of  surpassing  loveliness  and  grandeur. 

Being  permitted  by  the  late  and  present  Duke  of 
Devonshire  to  reside  at  a  shooting-lodge  of  his  grace's 
(formed  out  of  the  Priory  gateway),  I  am  well  ac- 
quainted with  every  '^  dingle,  nook,  and  mossy  dell,"  to 
be  found  in  the  purlieus  of  this  enchanting  place,  which 
I  believe  to  concentrate,  within  a  few  miles,  a  greater 
variety  of  rich,  wild,  and  beautiful  scenery,  than  any 
other  place  in  Great  Britain.  I  consider  my  opinion 
justified  in  consequence  of  having  met  with  Major 
Smith  (the  once  envied  possessor  of  the  peerless  Pierce- 
field  on  the  Wye)  at  Bolton,  and  walked  with  him  over 
most  of  the  grounds,  and  he  candidly  declared  that, 
taken  altogether,  he  gave  a  decided  preference  to  Bolton 
Abbey. 

Much  of  the  beauty  of  Bolton  has  been  rendered 
accessible  of  late  years  by  the  good  taste  of  the  vicar, 
Mr.  Carr,  who  was  empowered  by  the  noble  owner  to 
make  pathways,  and  open  vistas,  where  necessary.  The 
charm  of  association  also  accompanies  the  fascination 
of  exquisite  scenery ;  for  here  the  Shepherd  Earl,  the 
lover  of  Prior's  nut-brown  maid,  wandered  in  deso- 
lation, at  once  the  heir  and  the  exile,  and  in  the  tower 
of  Bardon  closed,  in  honoured  age,  his  eventful  and 
interesting  life. 

The  water  of  the  Wharfe  is  remarkably  clear,  and 
will  not  yield  its  excellent  trout  and  grayling  to  a 


328  THE  BRITISH 

bungler.  The  finest  tackle  and  the  smallest  hackle- 
flies  must  be  used  in  the  summer  and  autumn ;  but  in 
the  spring,  when  the  river  is  full  and  less  bright,  flies 
somewhat  larger  may  be  adopted.  The  blue  and  yellow 
dun,  the  wren-tail,  dott^ril,  woodcock,  grouse,  dun, 
and  coch-a-bonddu  hackles,  dressed  on  No.  11,  12,  and 
13  hooks,  tied  on  a  single  hair,  or  gut  equally  fine,  will 
be  found  successful. 

From  Bolton  Priory,  given  in  the  annexed  view, 
and  which,  though  not  extensive,  is  highly  picturesque^ 
and  forms  a  fine  feature  in  the  landscape,  the  Wharfe 
runs  on  to  Otley,  and  thence  to  Harewood  Bridge, 
seven  miles  from  Leeds,  and  close  to  the  neat  village, 
the  splendid  mansion  of  the  Earl  of  Harewood,  and  the 
ruins  of  that  ancient  castle  where  once  dwelt  the  fair 
but  false  Elfrida.  Here  the  grayling  are  much  more 
abundant  than  at  Bolton ;  I  have  seen  shoals  of  them 
swimming  near  the  starlings  of  the  bridge.  Trout  are 
also  very  plentiful,  and,  though  not  large,  are  very 
good.  During  my  residence  at  Harrowgate,  some 
years  since,  this  was  a  favourite  resort  of  mine,  the  inn 
being  close  to  the  river,  and  affording  respectable  ac- 
commodation, whilst  the  stream,  both  above  and  below 
the  bridge,  offered  excellent  sport.  On  one  occasion, 
when  the  water  was  too  much  coloured  after  rain  for 
the  fly,  I  caught  a  trout,  by  spinning  the  minijiow,  close 
to  the  bridge,  which  weighed  nearly  four  pounds ;  and 
although  this  would  be  thought  nothing  of  at  Driffield, 


1 


i 


< 


J 


ANOLER^S  MANUAL.  329 

or  on  the  Thames^  in  the  Wharfe  it  was  considered  extra- 
ordinary. So  well  pleased  was  I  with  my  acquisition^ 
that  I  lost  no  time  in  mounting  my  cob  and  hastening 
home^  where  I  first  painted  my  fish^  and  the  following 
day  eat  him ;  thus  making  the  most  of  my  prize. 

I  may  here  remark  that  in  the  spring  of  the  year^ 
or  whenever  the  waters  in  the  Wharfe,  the  XJre,  or  the 
Swale,  are  coloured,  or  are  beginning  to  clear  into  an 
amber  colour,  then  the  minnow-fishing  is  most  ex- 
cellent. The  Wharfe  proceeds  from  Harewood  to 
Wetherby  and  Thorp-arch,  and  afterwards  falls  into 
the  Ouse  near  Cawood. 

TH£  UBE 

Rivals  the  last-mentioned  river  in  its  variety  and  ro- 
mantic character.  It  rises  in  the  North  Riding,  on 
the  borders  of  Westmoreland,  and,  passing  through 
Middleham  and  Wensleydale,  forms  many  beautiful 
cascades,  and  thence  pursues  its  course  through  rich 
pastoral  vales  to  Masham ;  after  which  it  visits  the 
most  splendid  and  lofty  amphitheatres  of  wood  in 
Britain, — at  Hackfall,  the  property  of  Mrs.  Lawrence 
of  Studley,  and  Fountain's  Abbey,  whose  beautiful 
domain  is  equally  worthy  attention  with  Bolton  and 
Hackfall.  This  river  passes  by  Tanfield,  formerly  the 
seat  of  Lord  Marmion,  and,  after  receiving  the  Swale, 
falls  into  the  Ouse.  All  that  has  been  said  of  flies,  &c. 
for  the  Wharfe,  will  apply  to  the  Ure  and  the  Swale. 


330  THE  BRITISH 

THE  RIVER,  NEAR  DRIVFIELD. 

This  liver  (the  Driffield,  I  believe,)  has  long  been 
famous  for  the  size  and  exceUenoe  of  its  trout,  and  I 
am  informed  that  a  club  has  been  established  for  the 
preservation  of  this  superior  breed  of  fish.  [The  fish- 
ing is  excellent,  and  the  fish  are  strictly  preserved,  but 
a  member  of  the  dub  can  always  give  a  day^s  sport  to 
a  stranger.] 

MALHAM  TARN, 

In  the  district  of  Craven,  is  a  fine  sheet  of  water 
belonging  to  Lord  Ribblesdale,  and  containing  abun- 
dance of  large  trout.  Permission  to  fish  can  be  ob- 
tained of  his  lordship,  and  a  keeper  attends  the  sports- 
man, who  is  very  properly  not  allowed  to  use  any  other 
bait  than  the  artificial  fly,  nor  to  pouch  a  fiish  under 
two  poands  weight. 

THE  HODDER. 

I  am  indebted  for  the  following  account  of  White- 
well,  on  the  Hodder,  a  favourite  resort  of  the  Liverpool 
and  Manchester  fly-fishers,  to  Lister  Parker,  Esq.  one 
of  the  most  skilful  of  our  north-country  anglers. 

''The  river  Hodder  is  a  beautiful  stream  for  fly- 
fishing ;  it  rises  in  the  IhIIs  above  Slaidbum,  and  in  a 
short  course  hurries  itself  into  the  Ribble,  at  Mitton 
Demesne,  where,  according  to  the  old  saw, — 

*  Hodder y  Calder,  Ribble,  and  rain, 
Meet  together  in  Mitton  Demesne.' 


ANGLEK^S  MANUAL.  331 

^^It  has  several  pleasant  brooks  running  into  it. 
Dunsop  and  Sykes'  beck  are  both  famous  for  good 
angling. 

"  The  fish  in  the  Hodder  are  small  trout  and  gray- 
ling, or  omer  (the  latter  are  now  scarce,  though  formerly, 
and  within  my  time,  very  plentiful  and  fine) ;  also 
pinks  and  smelts,  which  afibrd  good  sport  in  AprQ  and 
May,  when  they  depart  with  the  first  flood  for  the  sea, 
and  come  up  again  in  the  autumn  and  following  summer 
fine  morts  and  salmon.  The  best  months  for  taking 
the  better  kinds  of  fish  are  August  and  September. 
They  (i.  e.  sea-trout,  &xj.)  take  a  middle-sized  fly;  the 
favourite  colour,  a  turkey's  feather  wing,  purple  mohair 
and  silk  body,  ribbed  with  silver  twist ;  a  second  fly  is  the 
grey  feather  of  a  mallard's  wing,  with  red  mohair  body. 

^'The  trout  take  small  flies,  like  those  in  use  on 
the  Lune  and  the  Bibble.  A  blue,  the  under  part  of 
a  snipe's  wing ;  a  brown,  the  woodcock's  wing,  and  a 
golden  plover. 

^'The  inn  at  Whitewell  is  most  comfortable,  and 
very  beautifully  situated,  both  for  sport  and  scenery ;  it 
lies  among  the  West  Yorkshire  hills,  in  the  trust  of 
Bowland,  and  on  the  very  edge  of  North  Lancashire, 
about  sixteen  miles  from  Preston,  six  from  Clitheroe, 
and  twenty  from  Lancaster,  being  in  the  direct  road 
between  the  two  last-mentioned  towns." 

I  am  indebted  to  my  talented  friend  Mr.  Linton  for 
the  loan  of  the  picture  of  Whitewell,  from  which  the 


332  THE  BRITISH 

annexed  plate  is  engraved.  Mrs.  Gomal^  the  landlady 
of  this  pleasant  retreat,  is  proverbial  for  her  good 
housewifery  and  attention  to  her  gaests. 

Mr.  Parker  also  mentions  Lilly  Tarn,  or  Mere,  on 
the  fells  between  Sedburgh  and  Kendal,  belonging  to 
Mr.  Upton  of  Ingmere.  He  says,  ''  The  treat  are 
good  in  colour,  and  I  caught  nine  fish,  weighing  four- 
teen pounds  and  a-half,  honest  weight,  in  two  hours ; 
and  many  fish  there,  from  their  appearance  on  rising, 
must  have  been  from  four  to  five  pounds  weight.^ 


yy 


DERBYSHIRE 

Ranks  with  Hampshire  as  a  fishing  county,  and  for  its 
infinite  variety  of  wild  and  romantic  scenery  it  is  un- 
rivalled. The  principal  rivers  are  the  Trent  (already 
described),  the  Erwash,  the  Blythe,  the  Tame,  the 
Dove,  the  Manifold,  the  Derwent,  and  the  Wye. 

THE  EAWASH 

Rises  near  Mansfield,  and  divides  the  counties  of  Derby 
and  Nottingham  during  the  most  of  its  course,  and 
falls  into  the  Trent,  a  little  below  Shardlow  Bridge. 

THE    BLYTHE 

Rises  a  few  miles  eastward  of  the  Trent,  which  it  joins 
near  King^s  Bromley,  after  receiving  the  Soar  from 
Eccleshall,  and  the  Peak  from  Penkridge. 


[ 


ANOLER  8  MANUAL. 


THE  TAME 


Springs  in  two  brandies,  not  far  from  Coleshill,  in 
Warwickshire,  and  flows  westward,  to  its  junction  with 
the  Trent,  above  Burton.  [There  is  excellent  fishing  in 
some  preserved  portions  of  it.] 


THE  DOVE. 

This  classic  trout-streanij  rendered  immortal  by 
Walton  and  Cotton,  rises  in  the  Peak  of  Derbyshire, 
and  divides  that  county  from  Staffordshire ;  after  pass- 
ing the  wild  moors  and  mountuns-  of  the  high  Peak,  it 

reaches 

DOVE DALE, 


One   of  the   most    sequestered   and   beautiful  of  the 
rocky  dells  of  England.     It  is  five  miles  from  the  town 


336  THE  BAITISH 

the  stream.  (See  the  frontispieee^  taken  from  this  part 
of  the  dale.)  A  little  beyond  this  narrow  pass^  the 
third  section  of  Dovedale  terminates.  On  the  left^  an 
immense  isolated  pillar  of  rock^  called  Ham  Stone^  dis- 
rupted^ as  it  were,  from  the  mighty  mass  with  which 
it  appears  to  have  been  once  connected,  stands  half  way 
in  the  stream,  on  the  right,  and  narrows  the  ehasm, 
through  which  a  pleasant  but  remote  prospect  appears. 
This  portal  forms  the  entrance  into  a  fourth  diviedon  of 
the  dale,  where  the  scenery  assumes  a  widely  different 
character/' 

What  angler  can  read  the  above  description  of  the 
Dove,  and  not  regret  that  my  friend  never  cast  a  fly  in 
his  life  ? 

Thirty  years  since,  in  company  with  two  brother 
artists  and  anglers,  I  enjoyed,  in  this  enchanting  valley, 
some  of  the  happiest  days  of  my  life ;  the  season  was 
fine,  and  we  took  up  our  abode  at  the  Bowling  Green, 
at  Mapleton,  from  whence  we  sallied  every  morning, 
carrying  with  us  provisions  for  the  day,  and  two  or 
three  bottles  of  old  Mr.  Wood^s  brisk,  Ught,  bottled  ale, . 
together  with  our  fishing-tackle  and  sketching  appa- 
ratus ;  and  after  a  walk  of  four  miles  entered  the  dale, 
where  we  passed  eight  successive  days  (Sundays  ex- 
cepted) in  alternately  sketching,  painting,  fishing,  and 
rabbit-shooting.     We  generally  fook  our  meal  at  one 
o^clock  in  the  day,  either  in  Reynard's  Hall,  a  pic- 
turesque cave  in  the  rocks,  or  under  the  shade  of  the 


I' 


r; 


vajjf  33ff. 


^  ';/:!,.■'  /- 


angler's  manual.  337 

alder-trees  skirting  the  stream,  which  furnished  us  in 
abundance  with  the  finest  water-cresses.  We  returned 
to  Mapleton  about  nine  in  the  evening,  when  we  always 
found  a  substantial  supper  prepared  for  us,  which  was 
mostly  of  our  own  providing, «.  e.  trout  and  rabbits.  At 
this  period,  fishing  in  Dovedale  was  as  free  to  us  as  it 
had  formerly  been  to  our  father  Walton  and  his  dis- 
ciples ;  but  the  water  is  now  strictly  preserved  by  Jesse 
Watts  Russell,  Esq.,  of  Ham  Hall,  a  splendid  mansion, 
situated  in  a  beautifidly  wooded  valley,  through  which 
the  Manifold  winds  its  clear  stream  towards  the 
Dove. 

Since  that  time  I  have  twice  visfled  this  happy 
valley,  and  on  the  last  of  these  occasions  under  less 
fortunate  circumstances;  being  in  company  with  a 
brother  artist  and  angler,  with  whom  I  had  formed  an 
acquaintance  at  Matlock.  We  left  that  place  for  Dove- 
dale,  and  on  reaching  the  Dog  and  Partridge,  engaged 
the  two  beds,  which  were  all  the  house  furnished. 
From  thence  I  sent  a  note  to  Ham  Hall,  to  request  a 
day's  fishing,  but  as  Mr.  Watts  Russell  was  from  home 
this  could  not  be  granted,  which  was  a  great  disap- 
pointment ;  but  the  next  morning  I  stored  my  fishing- 
basket  with  our  lunch,  and  a  small  flask  of  brandy,  and 
ordered  a  late  dinner.  The  day  proved  very  fine, 
though  extremely  hot ;  but  on  arriving  at  the  dale  I 
found,  at  length,  a  cool,  sheltered  situation,  and  com- 
menced painting,  whilst  my  companion,  who  preferred 

z 


THE  BRITISH 


fishing  without  leave  to  sketching,  borrowed  my  basket 
and  rod,  which  I  unluckily  yielded  to  him,  thus  giving 
the  staff  out  of  my  own  bands.  I  then  lost  sight  of 
him  for  several  hours,  and  when  he  returned  I  was  ex- 
hausted by  beat  and  hunger,  and  immediately  proposed 
that  we  shonld  take  our  lunch.  Judge,  gentle  reader, 
what  were  my  sensations  on  learning  that  at  two  dif- 
ferent periods  since  we  parted  he  had  eaten  both  the 
rations !  I  then,  with  a  faint  heart,  inquired  for  the 
brandy;  alas  I  it  was  with  the  same  result. 

Old  Dilworth  says,  "  hunger  makes  a  man  fretiid, 
peevish,  and  uneasy  with  himself  and  all  around  him :" 
most  probably,  1  proved  no  exception,  for  my  companion 
again  left  me ;  but  I  had  scarcely  time  to  calculate  the 
distance  to  the  Dog  and  Partridge,  when  a  smart-look- 
ing tiifer  made  his  appearance,  with  his  master's  com- 
pliments, requesting  I  would  join  his  party  and  take 
some  refreshment,  to  which  I  readily  assented. 

The  boy  led  the  way  through  some  copse-wood,  and 
I  soon  came  in  sight  of  the  most  Boccacio-like  scene  I 
had  ever  beheld.     A  fine,  portly,  fiorid-looking  gentle- 
man, in  the  prime  of  life,  in  a  light  summer  costume, 
was  sitting  in  the  midst  of  a  bevy  of  beautiful  and  ele- 
gantly dressed  women   and  girls;    before  them  was 
rass  a  well-fumished  table-cloth,  and 
'  wine.     I  was  made  heartily  welcome 
if  the  feast,  who  proved  to  be  Bache 
rho  bad  long  made  it  a  custom  to  give 


ANGLEB^S  MANUAL.  339 

his  young  firiends  an  annual  fite  champitre  in  Dove- 
dale. 

I  did  ample  justice  to  the  good  cheer  before  me, 
and  the  champagne  soon  gave  me  spirits  to  enter  into 
the  gaiety  of  the  scene.  By  a  kind  of  freemasonry,  not 
easily  understood,  my  kind  and  generous  entertainer 
guessed  my  name  before  I  had  announced  it,  and 
crowned  his  hospitality  by  giving  me  an  invitation  to 
Stanton  House,  his  seat,  for  a  week^s  shooting  in  the 
autumn.  Alas  !  in  the  first  week  of  September  of  the 
same  year  he  was  killed  by  the  accidental  discharge  of 
a  friend^s  gun,  in  passing  the  gap  of  a  hedge,  and  thus 
was  cut  off  in  the  midst  of  a  life  of  innocent  enjoyment. 

This  river,  after  leaving  Dovedale,  flows  through 
rich  cultivated  meadows,  and,  passing  XJttoxeter  and 
Tutbury  Castle,  falls  into  the  Trent  at  Egginton. 

The  flies  recommended  for  the  Yorkshire  rivers  will 
serve  for  the  Dove,  aud  other  Derbyshire  trout-streams, 
i.  e,  small  different-coloured  hackles.  The  grayUng  in 
the  Dove  are  plentiful,  and  very  fine.  They  are  some- 
times taken  from  three  to  foiu*  pounds  weight,  with  a 
gentle,  which  is  the  best  bait  for  them. 

[The  following  hints  may  be  useful  to  grayling 
fishers : — 

^'  Those  who  are  strangers  to  this  sport,  and  indeed 
many  who  have  fished  for  grayling  all  their  lives,  when 
the  water  is  very  low  and  clear  immediately  betake 
themselves  to  the  streams  and  curls,  from  the  idea  that 


340  THE  BRITISH 

the  fish  will  see  your  line  in  the  dead  water.  By  so 
doings  they  will^  perhaps^  cateh  a  few  trout^  and  some 
shelt  grayling.  But  go  yourself  to  a  deep,  dead  part  of 
the  river ;  never  mind  if  there  is  no  wind,  or  if  the  sun 
is  hot.  Use  the  finest  gut  you  can  procure,  and  two 
flies,  and  when  you  have  thrown  your  line  as  light  as 
gossamer,  let  it  sink  for  eight  or  ten  inches.  You  will 
not  see  a  rise,  but  a  slight  curl  on  the  water,  which,  by 
a  little  practice,  you  will  understand  quite  as  well ;  and 
when  you  strike  you  will  have  the  pleasure  of  finding, 
most  probably,  a  good  fish  tugging  away  at  the  end  of 
your  line. 

^^  This  is  the  real  secret  of  grayling  fishing,  and  you 
may  often  fill  your  basket  while  other  fishermen  on  the 
water,  using  the  very  same  flies,  will  not  have  managed 
to  kill  a  decent  dish  amongst  them. 

"  It  may  also  be  remarked,  that  another  circum- 
stance, very  well  known  to  be  true  in  regard  to  salmon, 
is  equally  applicable  to  grayling,  viz.  that  on  certain 
streams  they  prefer  particular  flies.  In  one  stream, 
for  instance,  they  will  only  take  the  orange  tag-tail, 
often  refusing  every  other  fly ;  and  in  any  other  stream 
no  fish  would  look  at  the  tag-tail.  But  no  rule  can 
possibly  be  laid  down  for  this,  as  it  can  only  be  learnt 
by  experience ;  and  I  would  therefore  strongly  recom- 
mend, that  when  once  you  have  got  a  fly  that  kiUs  fish. 
never  change  it.  This  is  old  advice,  but  it  is  particularly 
applicable  to  grayling,  as  sometimes  the  water  is  literally 


angler's  manual.  341 

alive  with  them,  and  they  will  not  even  look  at  the  fly 
— the  most  mortifying  thing  on  earth  to  a  fisherman. 

"  Although  it  is  almtrat  impossihle  that  every  true 
angler  should  not  prefer  the  fly,  yet  I  am  bound  to 
allow,  that  the  largest  grayling  are  killed  hy  the  maggot 
and  grashopper.  The  most  destructive  way  with  both 
these  baits  is  to  sink  and  draw ;  and  it  is  not  unusual 
to  kill  four  or  five  fish  in  a  day  exceeding  two  pounds 
in  weight,  while  you  seldom  get  much  above  '  a 
pounder'  with  the  fly." — Ed.  From  his  "  Angler's 
Rambles."] 

The  following  vignette  represents  an  isolated  rock 
at  the  upper  end  of  the  dale : — 

"  The  silver  Done,  how  plenBant  is  the  namp  !" — Cotton. 


342  THE  BRITISH 


THE  DERWENT 

Rises  in  the  woodlands  of  Derbyshire^  and  flowing  past 
Derwent  Hall^  the  fine  old  manor-house  of  John  Reed^ 
Esq.,  through  Ashopton  to  Baslow^  enters  the  park^  and 
passes  close  to  Chatsworth  House^  the  splendid  mansion 
of  his  Grace  the  Duke  of  Devonshire,  the  Palace  of  the 
Peak — a  place  so  richly  endowed  by  nature  and  art,  that 
a  mere  catalogue  of  its  claims  on  admiration  would  far 
exceed  so  cursory  a  view  as  my  limits  allow^  but  to 
which  the  author  of  "  Peak  Scenery''  has  done  ample 
justice. 

The  Wheat  Sheaf,  a  small  inn  at  Baslow,  will  be 
found  an  excellent  station  for  the  angler,  where  he  will 
meet  with  good  accommodation  and  moderate  charges ; 
the  landlord  is  empowered  to  give  tickets  for  fishing  in 
the  duke's  waters  to  a  considerable  extent.  Lower 
down  the  stream  is  Rowsley  Bridge,  another  convenient 
fishing  station,  where  there  is  also  a  good  house  of  en- 
tertainment, and  excellent  trout  and  grayling  close  at 
hand,  this  house  being  also  within  a  short  distance  of 
the  Wye. 

From  Rowsley,  the  Derwent  runs  to  Matlock,  where 
it  is  bordered  by  the  most  romantic  and  picturesque  as- 
semblage of  woods,  rocks,  and  buildings,  that  can  be 
conceived.  Matlock  has  long  been  celebrated  for  the 
beauty  of  its  situation,  the  salubrity  of  its  air,  and  the 
invigorating  properties  of  its  baths.     There  are  several 


'  ANGLEE^S  MANUAL.  343 

fine  hotels^  and  some  excellent  boarding-houses,  with 
others  of  a  more  humble  description;  and  the  artist 
will  meet  with  innumerable  combinations  of  wood,  rock, 
and  water,  producing  endless  studies  for  the  pencil.  Of 
these,  perhaps,  the  most  striking  are  the  rock  at  the 
boat-house,  at  the  entrance  ofthe  vale  from  Rowsley; 
and  the  High  Tor,  a  vast  precipitous  rock,  rising  three 
hundred  feet  in  perpendicular  height  from  the  bed  of 
the  Derwent. 

Willersley  Castle,  the  magnificent  seat  of  Richard 
Arkwright,  Esq.,  terminates  the  vale  :  a  note  addressed 
to  this  gentleman  will  procure  a  fishing-ticket  for  the 
season ;  and  below  Willersley  there  are  some  fine  trout 
and  grayling-streams :  but  I  do  not  consider  the  fishing 
so  good  as  at  Rowsley,  Baslow,  and  still  higher  up  the 
stream.  The  Derwent  now  continues  its  course  through 
Belper,  Darley,  and  Derby,  and  falls  into  the  Trent  a 
little  below  Shardlow-bridge. 

THE  WYE 

Rises  in  the  moors  above  Buxton,  and  immediately 
below  that  fashionable  watering-place  becomes  a  consi- 
derable stream,  and,  pursuing  a  sinuous  course,  reaches 
Monsaldale,  one  of  those  beautiful  valleys  which  are 
the  charms  of  Derbyshire.  Thence  it  meanders  to  the 
pretty  village  of  Ashford-in-the-water,  remarkable  for 
its  marble  quarries  and  works,  and  a  beautiful  cottage 
omee,  belonging  to  the  Duke  of  Devonshire,  which,  in 


344  THE  BRITISH 

summer^  is  literally  a  bower  of  roses.  A  short  course 
then  brings  the  Wye  to  the  pleasant  and  picturesque 
town  of  Bakewell^  where,  at  the  Rutland  Arms,  kept  by 
Mrs.  Greaves,  the  tourist  will  meet  with  every  thing  he 
can  desire,  as  it  is  considered  one  of  the  best  houses  of 
entertainment  in  Great  Britain.  In  the  drake  season, 
at  the  beginning  of  June,  this  house  is  the  resort  of 
anglers  from  all  parts  of  the  kingdom,  for  the  purpose 
of  fishing  with  the  natural  may-fly. 

The  Wye  now  winds  in  many  a  serpentine  fold,  till 
it  laves  the  grounds  of  Haddon  Hall,  an  ancient  ba- 
ronial mansion,  the  property  of  the  Duke  of  Rutland, 
which  every  traveller  ought  to  inspect.  The  grandeur 
and  fine  proportions  of  its  stately  halls,  the  faded  orna- 
ments of  its  venerable  chapel,  the  convenience  of  its 
extensive  offices,  alike  attest  the  magnificent  and  hos- 
pitable style  of  its  former  inhabitants ;  and  the  gardens 
which  surround  it  are  in  admirable  keeping  with  the 
edifice, — the  frequent  terraces  and  massive  balustrades 
resembling  those  so  commonly  pertaining  to  palaces  in 
Italy ;  and  from  the  loftiest  tower  an  extensive  prospect 
is  obtained  over  a  country  as  rich  and  fair  as  ever  guer- 
doned chieftain,  or  portioned  noble  heiress :  by  the 
latter  medium  it  entered  the  family  of  Manners. 

A  little  beyond  Haddon,  the  Wye  is  joined  by  the 
Lathkill,  of  which  Mr.  Rhodes  observes, — "  Near  Over 
Haddon  is  the  source  of  the  Lathkill,  one  of  the  most 
brilliant  streams  that  play  among  ^the  dells  of  Derby- 


angler's  manual.  345 

shire.  The  cradle  of  this  rivulet  is  pleasingly  ro- 
mantic ;  from  a  cavern  in  a  mass  of  broken  rock^  whose 
sides  and  summits  are  adorned  with  branches  of  trees, 
the  Lathkill  issues  into  day,  and,  running  down  a  gentle 
declivity  amongst  huge  stones,  by  which  it  is  divided 
into  separate  currents,  it  is  sometimes  an  object  of  con- 
siderable beauty/^ 

This  sparkling  and  pellucid  stream  abounds  with 
trout  of  the  finest  quality,  but  it  is  strictly  preserved 
by  his  Grace  the  Duke  of  Devonshire,  for  the  amuse- 
ment of  himself  and  friends ;  after  the  junction  of  the 
Lathkill  and  the  Wye,  they  soon  fall  into  the  Derwent 
at  Rowsley. 

At  Bakewell,  excellent  small  hackle-flies  may  be 
bought  of  a  saddler,  such  as  I  have  previously  recom- 
mended for  the  Wye  and  the  Derwent. 

There  are  various  other  small  streams  in  this  land 
of  many  waters ;  one  of  which  rises  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Brailsford,  and,  passing  Longford  and  Sutton- 
on-the-hill,  falls  into  the  Trent  near  Eggington,  after  a 
short  course,  and  contains  abundance  of  fine  trout,  of 
excellent  flavour :  but  I  am  not  acquainted  with  its 
name. 


1 


346  THE  BRITISH 


BERKSHIRE. 


The  principal  rivers  in  this  county  are  the  Kennet, 
the  Loddon^  and  the  Lamboume. 


THE  KENNET 

Is  famous  for  its  large  trout ;  it  rises  in  Wiltshire^  and 
falls  into  the  Thames^  near  Beading. 

HUNGEBFOBD^ 

On  the  Kennet,  is  sixty-five  miles  from  London,  and 
in  the  vicinity  of  this  town  the  trout-fishing  is  equal  to 
that  of  any  other  river  in  the  kingdom;  the  water 
belongs  to  different  proprietors,  and  is  strictly  pre- 
served. [Excellent  trout-fishing  may  be  had  at  Hunger- 
ford  by  paying  for  tickets  by  the  day  or  month.] 

NEWBUKY, 

To  which  may  be  added  Speenhamland,  are  the  next 
fishing  stations  on  the  Kennet ;  and  the  waters  in  their 
neighbourhood  abound  with  fine  trout  and  silver  eels. 

["  The  Kennet  swift,  for  silver  eels  renown'd." — Pope.] 

EEADINO 

Is  thirty-nine  miles  from  London,  and  near  this  neat 
and  beautifully  situated  town,  through  which  the  Kennet 


J 


ANOLEE^S  MANUAL.  347 

runs  on  its  way  to  the  Thames,  very  few  trout  are 
taken ;  but  large  ones  are  sometunes  caught,  from  five 
to  ten  pounds  weight,  by  spinning  the  bleak,  within  a 
sufficient  distance  to  be  ^^  free  from  the  busy  haunts  of 
men/^ 

The  flies  named  for  the  Test  will  answer  for  the 
Kennet ;  but,  as  the  latter  is  a  deeper  and  fuller  river, 
the  flies  may  be  dressed  on  somewhat  larger  hooks; 
and,  in  addition  to  those  given  for  the  Test,  I  should 
recommend  the  March-brown  and  the  stone-fly. 

THE  LODDON, 

**....  with  silver  alders  crown'd." — Pope. 

This  small  stream  rises  in  Hampshire,  and  passes 
slowly  through  a  beautiful  country,  until  it  ornaments 
the  pleasure-groimds  of  our  illustrious  Duke  at  Strath- 
fieldsaye.  Many  of  the  charming  scenes  so  exquisitely 
painted  by  Miss  Mitford,  in  ^^  Our  Village,'*  are  taken 
from  the  banks  of  the  Loddon ;  it  is  not,  however,  a 
trout-stream,  but  is  well  furnished  with  pike  and  perch : 
and  it  is  a  common  practice  on  this  water,  though  a 
singular  one,  to  fly-fish  for  the  perch,  with  a  large  red 
or  black  palmer.  I  have  myself  caught  many  perch  in 
the  lakes  of  Killarney,  when  trout-fishing,  by  letting 
my  fly  sink  a  few  inches  below  the  surface  of  the 
water. 


348  THE  BRITISH 


WILTSHIRE. 

The  Nadder  rises  in  the  south-west  border  of  this 
county,  and  runs  by  Chilmark.  The  Walley  rises  near 
Warminster,  and  runs  by  Yambury  and  Wilton.  The 
Bourne  springs  in  the  easternmost  part  of  Wiltshire,  and 
these  rivers  fall  into  the  Avon,  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Salisbury. 

The  Kennet,  already  mentioned,  rises  also  in  the 
centre  of  this  county,  not  far  from  Marlborough,  which 
town  it  passes  in  its  course  towards  Berkshire. 

All  these  are  trout-streams,  and  some  of  them 
contain  grayUng. 


SHROPSHIRE. 

The  Severn  is  the  chief  river  of  this  county,  and 
enters  it  in  conflux  with  the  Vymwy,  a  most  excellent 
trout-stream.  Fine  salmon  are  taken  near  Shrewsbury, 
and  numbers  of  these  fish  run  up  the  Severn  into 
Wales.  Salmon,  trout,  carp,  perch,  roach,  chub,  and 
grayling,  are  taken ;  the  latter  of  which,  in  some  in- 
stances, weighing  five  pounds. 


angler's  manual.  349 


THE  CLUN 

Rises  near  Bishop's  Castle,  and  passes  by  Ludlow, 
where  it  is  joined  by  the  Corve,  and,  proceeding  to 
Tenbury,  falls  into  the  Severn  near  Worcester. 

The  Clun  is  celebrated  for  its  trout  and  grayling, 
but  the  latter  are  superior  to  the  former.  Downton,  on 
this  river,  is  so  well  described  in  "  Salmonia,''  that  I  shall 
give  some  extracts  from  that  admirable  work  : — 

*^  Scene  —  Leintwardine,  near  Ludlow, 

*'You  have  reached  your  quarters, — here  is  your 
home, — a  rural,  peaceable,  and  unassuming  inn,  with  as 
worthy  a  host  and  hostess  as  may  be  found  in  this  part 
of  England.  The  river  gUdes  at  the  bottom  of  the 
garden,  and  there  is  no  stream  in  England  more  pro- 
ductive of  grayling.  The  surrounding  country  is  not 
devoid  of  interest,  and  the  grounds  in  the  distance  are 
covered  with  stately  woods,  and  laid  out  (or  rather 
their  natural  beauties  developed)  by  the  hand  of  a 
master,  whose  liberal  and  enlightened  mind  can  con- 
descend to  regard  the  delights  of  the  angler ;  and  he 
could  hardly  have  contributed  in  a  more  effectual 
manner  to  their  comforts  than  by  placing  the  good 
people,  who  were  once  his  servants,  in  this  comfortable 
inn. 

^^The  small  river  to  the  left  is  called  the  Teme, 


850  THE  BRITISH 

or  Little  Teme;  and^  though  the  least  stream^  it  gives 
name  to  the  river :  the  other,  and  more  copious  stream^ 
is  called  the  Clun.  The  Little  Teme  contains  princi- 
pally trout ;  the  Clun,  both  trout  and  grayling :  but 
the  fish  are  more  abundant  in  the  meadows  between 
this  place  and  Downton,  than  in  other  parts  of  the 
river ;  for  above  the  stream  is  too  rapid  and  shallow  to 
be  favourable  to  their  increase,  and  below  it  is  joined 
by  other  streams,  and  becomes  too  abundant  in  coarse 
fish.  It  is  impossible  to  see  a  more  perfect  specimen 
of  a  grayling  river  than  that  now  running  before  us,  in 
this  part  of  its  course.  You  see  a  succession  of  deep, 
still  pools,  under  shady  banks  of  marl,  with  gentle 
rapids  above,  and  a  long,  shelving  tail,  where  the  fish 
sport  and  feed. 

''If  there  are  no  such  pools  in  a  river,  grayling 
will  remain,  provided  the  water  be  clear,  and  will  breed; 
but  they  cannot  stem  rapid  streams,  and  they  are  gene- 
rally carried  down  lower  and  lower,  and  at  last  disappear. 
You  know  the  Test,  one  of  the  finest  trout-streams  in 
Hampshire,  and,  of  course,  in  England;  when  I  first 
knew  this  stream,  twenty  years  ago,  there  were  no 
grayUng  in  it.  A  gentleman  brought  some  from  the 
Avon,  and  introduced  them  into  the  river,  at  Longstock, 
above  Stockbridge.  They  were,  for  two  or  three  years, 
very  abundant  in  that  part  of  the  river ;  but  they  gradu- 
aUy  descended,  and  though  they  multipUed  greatly, 
there  are  now  scarcely  any  above  Stockbridge.     There 


angler's  manual.  351 

were,  four  years  ago,  many  in  the  river  just  below 
Haughton.  I  ought  to  mention,  that  the  water  is  par- 
ticularly fitted  for  them,  and  they  become  larger  in  this 
river  than  in  their  native  place,  the  Avon,  some  of  them 
weighing  between  three  and  four  pounds. 

"  I  see  some  yellow  flies  beginning  to  come  out ; 
they  have  akeady  felt  the  influence  of  the  warm  air; 
and,  look  !  a  fish  has  just  risen  opposite  that  bank,  and 
has  risen  again :  let  us  prepare  our  tackle. 

"  Poietes. — ^What  flies  shall  we  employ  ? 

" Halieus. — I  recommend  at  least  three;  for  the 
grayling  lies  deeper,  and  is  not  so  shy  a  fish  as  the 
trout,  and,  provided  your  link  is  fine,  is  not  apt  to  be 
scared  by  the  cast  of  flies  on  the  water.  Now,  for  the 
lowest  fly,  use  a  yellow-bodied  fly,  with  red  hackle  for 
legs,  and  landrail's  wing;  for  the  second,  a  blue  dun, 
with  a  dun  body;  and  for  the  highest,  the  claret- 
coloured  body,  with  blue  wings.'' 

Not  having  fished  in  the  Clun,  I  have  given  the 
above  flies,  as  recommended  by  Sir  Humphry  Davy, 
and  I  proceed  to  quote  his  description  of  the  scenery  : 
— ^^  How  beautiful  these  banks !  and  the  hills  in  the 
distance  approach  the  character  of  mountains ;  and  the 
precipitous  clifi^,  which  forms  the  summit  of  that  distant 
elevation,  looks  like  a  diluvian  moimtain,  and  as  if  it 
had  been  bared  and  torn  by  a  deluge  which  it  had 
stemmed.  But  though  this  spot  is  beautiful,  to-morrow 
I  hope  to  shew  you  a  more  exquisite  landscape — clifis. 


352  THE  BRITISH 

and  woods^  and  gushing  waters^  of  a  character  still 
more  romantic/' 

DOWNTON. 

"  This  spot  is  really  very  fine.  The  fall  of  water, 
the  picturesque  mill,  the  abrupt  clifi^,  and  the  bank 
covered  with  noble  oaks.  Above,  the  rivers  compose  a 
scene  such  as  I  have  rarely  beheld  on  this  island/^ 

The  trout  in  the  Clun  are  not  very  good;  but,  I 
believe,  there  are  few  better  grayling  rivers  than  the 
Clun,  and  the  various  other  streams  in  the  vicinity  of 
Ludlow.  I  should  recommend  a  stranger  to  add  to 
Sir  Humphry  Davy^s  short  list  of  flies,  the  pale  yellow 
dun.  No.  7 ;  the  dotteril  hackle^  with  a  yellow  orange 
silk  body;  and  the  wren  hackle.  No.  19. 


SOMERSETSHIRE 

Is  not  a  trout  county,  but  the  following  rivers  con- 
tain abundance  of  common  fish,  and  several  of  them 
are  remarkable  for  the  excellence  of  their  eels ;  viz. 
the  Yare,  the  Axe,  the  Avon,  the  Brent,  the  Frome, 
and  the  Parrett. 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  353 


STAFFORDSHIRE. 

**  If  the  breathless  chase,  o'er  hill  and  dale. 
Exceed  your  strength,  a  sport  of  less  fatigue, 
Not  less  delightful,  the  prolific  stream 
Affords.    The  crystal  rivulet,  that  o'er 
A  stony  channel  rolls  its  rapid  maze. 
Swarms  with  the  silver  fry.     Such,  through  the  bounds 
Of  pastoral  Stafford,  runs  the  brawling  Trent ; 
Such,  Eden,  sprung  from  Cambrian  mountains ;  such. 
The  Esk^  o'erhung  with  woods.'' — Armstrong. 

[This  county  has  been  long  celebrated  for  the  large 
pike  taken  in  its  rivers  and  ponds.  Of  the  former  it 
can  boast  of  the  Trent^  Manifold^  Ghemet,  Penk^ 
Dove^  Blith^  and  some  others.  Plot  mentions  the 
enormous  pike  of  this  county;  and  I  once  saw  three 
taken  from  a  pond^  one  of  which  weighed  thirty-six 
pounds^  and  the  other  two  thirty-five  pounds  each. 
Indeed^  they  may  almost  be  said  to  be  indigenous  in 
this  fine  county.  They  are  not  only  well-flavoured 
fish,  but  generally  have  their  colour  more  defined  than 
any  I  have  met  with  elsewhere. — En.] 

This  county  has  the  honour  of  being  the  source  of 
one  of  our  finest  British  rivers, — 

THE  TRENT, 

Which  rises  in  the  north-west  part  of  the  county,  on 
the  borders  of  Cheshire ;  taking  a  south-east  direction, 
it  crosses  Staflfbrdshire,  to  the  verge  of  Leicestershire 

A  A 


354  THE  BRITISH 

and  Derbyshire;  then  takes  a  north-east  direction^  and 
crosses  the  counties  of  Derby  and  Nottingham  to 
Newark :  firom  thence  it  passes  through  a  part  of 
Lincobishire^  and^  joining  the  Ouse^  the  united  streams 
become  the  Humber. 

This  noble  river  abounds  with  fish  through  its  whole 
course.  It  has  been  said  to  derive  its  name  from  the 
thirty  streams  which  it  receives  in  the  meanderings 
traced  above.*  Near  its  source^  and  for  many  miles 
afterwards^  it  contains  very  fine  trout  and  grayling ;  but 
when  it  reaches  the  counties  of  Nottingham  and  Derby, 
they  are  few  in  number. 

THE  TAME 

Rises  in  the  hundred  of  Sirdan^  in  this  county,  where, 
being  joined  by  Walsal-water,  afber  passing  Drayton, 
Basset,  and  Tamworth,  and  becoming  enlarged  by 
Blackbrook  and  other  streams,  it  falls  into  the  Trent. 
This  county  has  also  many  meres,  pools,  and  lakes, 
which  abound  with  large  pike  and  perch. 

*  It  has  also  been  said  to  derive  its  name  from  the  thirty  sorts  of 
fish  fomid  in  it. — Ed. 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  355 


GLOUCESTERSHIRE. 


The  principal  rivers  in  this  county  are  the  Severn, 
the  Isis,  the  Wye,  the  Upper  Avon,  the  Lower  Avon, 
the  Cam,  and  the  Stroud. 


THE  SEVERN 

Rises  on  the  eastern  side  of  FUnUmmon,  a  mountain 
in  Montgomeryshire,  and  soon  becomes  a  considerable 
river.  It  almost  encircles  Shrewsbury,  and,  after  re- 
ceiving the  Tern,  a  little  below  that  ancient  town,  runs 
through  Colebrook  dale,  and  thence  to  Bridgenorth, 
where  it  is  joined  by  the  Wort  and  the  Stour,  below 
Bewdley.  From  thence  it  proceeds  to  Worcester  and 
Gloucester,  dividing,  near  the  latter  city,  into  two  chan- 
nels, which,  soon  reuniting,  constitute  a  great  tide  river ; 
and,  after  being  joined  by  the  Wye  and  the  Lower  Avon, 
it  assumes  the  name  of  the  Bristol  Channel. 

The  Severn  is  rapid  and  muddy,  and  contains  no 
great  variety  of  fish,  but  salmon  are  abundant,  and  of 
the  finest  quality. 

THE  ISIS, 

Which  forms  part  of  the  Thames,  rises  in  the  parish  of 
Coates,  in  this  county. 


356  THE  BRITISH 

THE  WTE 

Rises  on  the  south  side  of  Plinlimmon  mountain^  at  a 
short  distance  firom  the  source  of  the  Severn^  and  is 
remarkable  for  the  variety  and  beauty  of  the  scenery 
through  which  it  flows.  For  many  miles  it  divides 
Badnorshire  from  the  county  of  Brecknock^  after  which 
it  enters  Herefordshire,  near  Hay ;  and  then,  passing 
Hereford,  Boss,  Monmouth,  the  romantic  grounds  of 
Fiercefield,  Tintem  Abbey,  and  Chepstow,  falls  into  the 
Bristol  Channel. 

Very  fine  salmon  are  taken  in  the  Wye ;  and  the 
whole  course  of  this  beautiful  river,  through  the  coun- 
ties  of  Brecknock  and  Radnor,  will  afibrd  excellent  trout 
and  grayling  fishing.  Flies,  coch-a-bonddu.  No.  35; 
Hofland^s  fancy.  No.  2 ;  the  March-brown,  No.  3  ;  the 
brown-shiner.  No.  14 ;  the  wren-tail.  No.  19 ;  the 
sand-fly,  No.  22;  and  the  grouse,  dun,  dotteril,  red 
and  black  hackles,  will  be  found  successful. 

[In  order  to  appreciate  the  beauties  of  the  Wye,  and 
combine  them  with  angling,  it  should  be  traversed 
between  the  Hay  and  Buylth,  and,  indeed,  higher  up. 
They  scenery  between  these  places  is  constantly  varying, 
and  so  is  the  appearance  of  the  river.  Sometimes  it 
flows  over  rocks,  having,  as  it  seems,  regular  steps  cut 
in  them,  with  a  deep  salmon-pool  below  them.  Some- 
times it  foams  over  irregular  waterfalls,  and  at  others 
glides  through  deep  fissures  in  rocks,  till  it  expands 


IJ 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  357 

into  a  calm  and  steady  stream ;  then  it  meets  with 
some  obstruction,  when  it  again  brawls  and  foams,  as  if 
angry  at  being  thus  checked  in  its  onward  passage. 
Every  fall  of  rain  rapidly  fills  it,  in  consequence  of  the 
numerous  mountain  streams  which  empty  themselves 
into  its  bosom.  The  sides  of  the  river  are  generally 
precipitous,  and  are  well  clothed  with  wood,  many  of 
the  trees  being  of  a  large  size.  After  a  flush  of  water, 
when  the  fish  can  ascend  from  the  sea,  the  pools  will 
always  be  found  with  salmon  in  them,  and  excellent 
sport  is  generally  to  be  had  with  the  fly;  when  the 
water  is  low,  there  is  good  trout  and  grayling 
fishing.  Some  of  the  former  have  been  taken  as  large 
as  seven  pounds  in  weight,  but  this  does  not  often 
occur. 

I  have  seen  most  of  the  rivers  in  England,  but  I 
have  no  hesitation  in  giving  the  preference  to  the  Wye; 
not  only  because  I  so  greatly  admire  the  sport  it  afibrds, 
and  the  beautiful  scenery  which  is  found  on  its  banks, 
but  because  it  has  not  hitherto  been  approached  by 
railroads  in  the  locaUty  referred  to,  leaving  the  peasantry 
in  all  their  native  simpUcity  of  manners,  not  infected 
by  contact  .with  their  English  neighbours,  or  losing 
their  cordial  greeting  when  they  meet  a  stranger.  The 
high-peaked  beaver  hat,  with  the  white  cap  under- 
neath, are  characteristic  of  the  women  of  Breconshire ; 
and,  certainly,  handsomer  women,  with  their  dark  full 
eyes  and  white  teeth,  are'  seldom  to  be  met  with.     The 


358  THE  BRITISH 

mountain  lakes^  or  tarns^  afford  good  pike  and  perch 
fishings  and  all  the  Uttle  streams  have  trout  in  them. — 
Ed.] 

the  upper  avon 

Rises  on  the  borders  of  Leicestershire^  and^  passing 
Warwick  Castle,  winds  through  a  beautiful  country  to 
Stratford-on-Avon,  where  it  is  joined  by  the  Lesser 
Stour,  and  from  thence  traverses  the  great  Worcester- 
shire level  by  Evesham,  and  falls  into  the  Severn  at 
Tewkesbury. 

The  Chelt,  the  Stroud,  the  Cam,  and  the  Little 
Avon,  all  fall  into  the  Severn;  the  Stroud  was  well 
stored  with  trout  formerly,  but  on  a  late  visit  to  the 
borough  of  that  name,  through  which  the  river  runs,  I 
found  the  fish  had  been  destroyed  by  the  number  of 
works  for  dyeing,  &c.  A  few  miles  from  the  town  of 
Stroud  there  is  a  canal  (called,  I  believe,  the  Berkeley 
Canal),  which  abounds  with  fine  pike.  The  water  is 
preserved,  but  I  obtained  permission  from  one  of  the 
proprietors  Kving  on  its  banks,  and  had  excellent 
sport. 


THE  LOWER  AVON 


Rises  near  Wootton  Basset,  and,  for  some  distance, 
divides  Wiltshire  and  Somersetshire,  and,  passing  Bath 
and  Bristol,  falls  into  the  Bristol  Channel. 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  359 


DEVONSHIRE 

May  rank  with  Hampshire  and  Derbyshire  for  the 
number  and  value  of  its  trout-streams ;  but,  imfortu- 
nately,  I  have  never  had  an  opportunity  of  trying  more 
than  one  of  the  many  rivers  of  this  beautifcd  county. 
A  few  years  since  I  visited  Ilfracombe,  Lymouth, 
Linton,  and  other  parts  of  the  north  coast  of  Devon, 
and  was  dehghted  with  the  grandeur  and  beauty  of  the 
scenery,  more  especially  with  Lymouth,  and  the  stream 
that  falls  into  the  sea  at  that  romantic  village,  which 
abounds  with  small  trout  of  excellent  flavour.  After  a 
fresh,  in  August  or  September,  the  sea-trout  run  up  the 
river  in  considerable  numbers. 

An  artist  would  find  Lymouth,  or  Linton,  a  de- 
lightftd  retreat,  lodgings  and  provisions  very  cheap, 
and  subjects  for  the  pencil  without  end.  As  I  cannot 
speak  from  much  experience  on  the  subject  of  Devon- 
shire fishing,  I  must  content  myseK  with  a  mere  list  of 
the  rivers. 

THE  TAMAR 

Has  its  source  in  Moorwinstow.  It  divides  this  county 
from  Cornwall,  and,  running  into  Hamoaze,  becomes 
very  wide  and  deep  at  its  estuary;  thus  forming  the 
finest  harbour  in  Great  Britain  for  the  royal  navy. 
Very  excellent  salmon  are  caught  in  the  Tamar. 


360  THE  BRITISH 

THE  FLYM 

Rises  on  the  east  side  of  Dartmoor^  and^  running  south- 
east^ forms  Catwater^  a  large  basin  beneath  the  old 
town  of  Plymouth. 

THE  TEALME^  THE  ERNE^  AND  THE  AVEN 

Are  three  small  rivers  also  rising  in  Dartmoor.  The 
celebrated  Ivy  Bridge  is  on  the  banks  of  the  Eme^ 
which  is  here  a  mountain  torrent. 

THE  DART 

Is  the  chief  of  all  those  rivers  which  have  their  source 
in  Dartmoor.  Rapidity  is  the  great  characteristic  of 
the  Dart,  which  it  retains  till  it  reaches  the  rich  plains 
in  the  southern  part  of  the  county.  Passing  by  Totness, 
King^s  Weare,  and  Dartmouth,  it  falls  into  the  sea. 

THE  EXE 

Rises  in  the  hills  of  Exmoor,  in  the  western  part  of 
Somersetshire,  and  running  by  Tiverton,  and  receiving 
the  Loman,  the  Creedy,  and  the  Culm,  proceeds  to 
Exeter,  from  whence  it  forms  a  grand  estuary  to  Ex- 
mouth,  where  it  meets  the  sea. 

THE  OTTER,  THE  SYD,  AND  THE  AXE. 

Each  of  these  rises  near  the  border  of  Somersetshire. 


angler's  manual.  361 

the  teign 

Rises  in  Dartmoor,  near  the  village  of  Chegford,  and 
terminates  in  the  bay  of  Teignmouth. 

THE  TAW  AND  THE  TOBBIDGE 

Contribute  to  form  the  great  bay  of  Barnstaple  and 
Bideford.  The  Taw  has  its  source  in  the  central 
mountains  of  Dartmoor,  and  is  increased  by  the  Moule, 
from  South  Monckton  to  Barnstaple,  from  whence  it 
turns  westward,  as  if  to  meet  the  Torridge,  which  rises 
close  to  the  head  of  the  Tamar,  near  the  border  of  the 
south  part  of  Cornwall. 

This  river,  after  receiving  the  Oakment,  runs  due 
north  to  Bideford,  and,  after  its  junction  with  the 
Taw,  falls  into  the  Bristol  Channel.  Most  of  these 
rivers  abound  with  salmon,  and  all  of  them  with  trout. 

[Although,  generally  speaking,  the  rivers  in  De- 
vonshire do  not  afford  first-rate  sport,  the  angler  will  be 
amply  compensated  by  the  beauty  of  the  scenery. 
Many  of  the  rivers  wind  through  rich  and  extensive 
meadows,  covered  with  the  sleek  red  cattle  of  Devon- 
shire, from  whose  milk  the  far-famed  cream  of  the 
county  is  prepared.  On  these  meadows  may  frequently 
be  seen  noble  elm -trees,  some  single,  and  others  in 
groups ;  while  spreading  hawthorns,  mixed  with  hollies, 
and  entangled  with  honeysuckles,  add  to  the  charm  of 
this  meadow  scenery. 


362  THE  BRITISH 

As  the  river  flows  calmly  and  peaceably  along^  a 
bridge  will  here  and  there  be  seen,  having  a  single 
elliptic  arch,  covered  generally  with  ivy,  and  above  it, 
perhaps,  one  of  those  picturesque  mills,  formed  of 
boards,  mossed  over  here  and  there,  with  its  thatched 
gables,  and  rapid  wheels.  These  spots  artists  delight 
to  transfer  to  their  canvass.  The  bridges,  from  their 
structure,  are  peculiar  to  Devonshire : 

**  An  auncient  bridge  of  stone : 
A  goodly  worke  when  first  it  reared  was." 

And  these  are  the  spots  where  the  best  trout  fishing 
may  generally  be  had. — ^Ed.] 


CORNWALL. 


The  principal  rivers  are  the  Tamar  (already  men- 
tioned in  the  county  of  Devon),  the  Camel,  the  Fal,  the 
Fowey,  and  the  Looe. 


THE  CAMEL 


Springs  near  the  hills  of  Rhuitter,  or  Bough-tor;  passes 
by  Camelford  and  Bodmin,  to  Wadebridge,  and 
thence  to  the  harbour  of  Padstowe. 


THE  FAL 


Bises  near  St.  Golumb,  and  swells  into  a  large  basin 
near  Truro. 


angler's  manual.  363 


THE  FOWEY 


Rises  between   Bodmin  and  Launceston^  and  passes 
Lostwithiel  and  the  ruins  of  Restormel  Abbey. 


THE  LOOE 


Is  composecl  of  two  branches,  one  of  which  runs  from 
Liskeard,  and  both  unite  in  the  port  of  Looe. 

The  trout  of  Lostwithiel  are  considered  very  ex- 
cellent. 


HEREFORDSHIRE. 


The  principal  rivers  in  this  county  are  the  Wye,  the 
Lug,  the  Monow,  the  Arrow,  the  Frome,  the  Loden, 
and  the  Tame. 


the  wye. 


At  Hay,  the  Swan  Hotel,  and  at  Builth,  the  Lion 
Hotel,  are  good  houses  of  entertainment,  and  the 
fishing  is  capital.  For  flies  used  on  the  Wye,  see 
Gloucestershire. 


THE  LUG 


Springs  in  Radnorshire,  and  enters  this  county  at 
Presteigne,  and  running  easterly  to  Leominster,  re- 
ceives the  Oney,  the  Endwell,  and  the  Arrow;  after 


364  THE  BRITISH 

which  it  falls  into  the  Wye,  below  Hereford.  At  Leo- 
minster, good  quarters  will  be  found  at  the  Oak  Hotel, 
and  excellent  fishing  in  the  neighbourhood. 

THE  FBOME  AND  THE  LODEN 

Run  south  until  they  unite  near  Stratton,  and  soon 
after  fall  into  the  Wye. 

THE  MONOW 

I«  formed  by  several  smaU  streams  rising  in  the  Hat- 
terel  Hills,  and,  after  flowing  through  the  "  Golden 
Valley,^^  falls  into  the  Wye  at  Monmouth. 

From  six  to  ten  miles  above  Monmouth  the  trout- 
fishing  is  excellent,  and  the  artist  would  find  subjects 
for  his  pencil  in  the  picturesque  ruins  of  an  ancient 
castle. 

THE  TEME 

Rises  in  the  county  of  Radnor,  and  falls  into  the  Severn, 
two  miles  below  Worcester. 

At  Leintwardine,  the  Lion  Inn,  and  at  Ludlow,  the 
Angel  Inn,  are  both  capital  fishing  stations.  At  Bramp- 
ton Brian  there  is  the  best  fishing  on  this  river,  as  it  is 
preserved  by  the  Earl  of  Oxford. 

THE  ARROW 

Falls  into  the  Lug,  near  Leominster,  and  is  a  very  good 
trout-stream. 


f 


ANGLEB^S  MANUAL.  365 


WORCESTERSHIRE. 


The  principal  rivers  are  the  Severn,  the  Teme, 
the  Avon,  the  Bow,  the  Salwarp,  and  the  Stour. 

The  Severn,  the  Teme,  and  the  Avon,  have  ahready 
been  described. 


THE  BOW 


Rises  in  Firkenham  Forest,  and,  passing  Pershore,  falls 
into  the  Avon. 


THE  SALWARP 

Comes  from  the  north-east,  and  runs  by  Droitwich  and 
Bromsgrove. 

THE  STOUB 

Rises  in  the  celebrated  groves  of  The  Leasowes,  and, 
running  through  Stourbridge  and  Mitton,  falls  into  the 
Severn  a  little  below  Stourport.  In  these  rivers  the 
angler  will  find  salmon,  trout,  grayling,  &c. ;  near  Kid- 
derminster the  trout  are  very  fine  in  colour  and  flavour, 
and  the  Severn  has  been  long  famous  for  its  lampreys. 


366  THE  BRITISH 


CHESHIRE. 

The  principal  rivers  in  this  county  are  the  Mersey, 
the  Dee,  and  the  Weaver. 

The  Mersey  has  ab*eady  been  mentioned  as  a  great 
navigable  river. 

the  dee 

Rises  in  Merionethshire,  North  Wales,  in  two  springs, 
which,  uniting,  form  the  lake  of  Pimble-mere;  from 
thence  it  passes  through  the  county  of  Denbigh,  by 
Llangollen  and  Wrexham,  to  Chester,  and  then  flows 
on  to  the  Irish  Sea.  The  Dee  is  justly  celebrated  for 
the  variety  and  beauty  of  the  country  through  which  it 
flows.  Llangollen  is  remarkable  as  being  for  many 
years  the  residence  of  two  maiden  ladies  of  family,  who 
left  the  world  in  early  life,  and  sought  retirement  in 
this  sequestered  vale.  This  beautiful  village  is  a  good 
station  for  either  the  artist  or  the  angler ;  the  river  is 
well  stored  with  salmon,  salmon-trout,  grayling,  &c. 
The  flies  I  should  recommend  are  the  coch-a-bonddu. 
No.  85  ;  the  wren-tail.  No.  19,  and  Nos.  32  and  33. 

The  Allan  meets  the  Dee  near  the  towns  of  Famden 
and  Holt ;  a  rapid  torrent,  also,  issuing  from  the  well 
of  St.  Winifred,  beneath  the  town  of  Holywell,  turns  a 
number  of  mills  in  its  short  course  to  the  Dee's  estuary, 
near  the  ruins  of  Basingwork  Abbey  in  Flintshire. 


angler's  manual.  367 

the  weaver 

Rises  in  Shropshire,  not  far  from  the  romantic  and 
picturesque  grounds  of  Hawkestone ;  runs  through  the 
central  parts  of  Cheshire  to  Namptwich  and  North wich, 
where  it  is  joined  by  the  Dane  from  Staffordshire,  and 
the  Wednoch  from  Middlewich ;  it  then  proceeds  to  its 
port  at  Frodsham,  a  little  below  which  it  is  lost  in  the 
Mersey. 

In  this  county  there  are  many  large  meres  and 
pools,  all  of  which  abound  in  carp,  tench,  pike,  perch, 
and  eels. 


SOMERSETSHIRE. 


THE  YAW 


Rises  in  the  Mendip  Hills,  and,  after,  a  short  course, 
falls  into  the  Bristol  Channel. 

THE  AXE, 

Also,  rises  in  the  Mendip  Hills,  and,  passing  Axbridge, 
winds  through  a  tract  of  marshes  to  the  Bristol 
Channel. 

THE  AVON 

Enters   this   county  near  Bath,  and  is  the  boundary 


368  THE  BRITISH 

between  Somersetshire  and  Gloucestershire^  and^  pass- 
ing Bristolj  Mis  into  the  mouth  of  the  Severn. 

n 

THE  BRENT 

Rises  on  the  eastern  edge  of  the  county^  and  runs 
westward,  by  Glastonbury  Abbey,  below  which  it  be- 
comes a  large  lake,  and  then  falls  into  the  Parrett. 

THE  FROME 

Rises  in  the  grounds  of  the  Marquis  of  Bath,  at 
Longleat. 

THE  PARRETT 

Has  its  source  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county,  and 
this  river  and  the  Thone  form  their  junction  near  the 
centre  of  Somersetshire,  the  latter  rising  in  the 
Quantox  Hills.  The  Parrett  likewise  receives  the  Yeo 
and  the  Ivel,  and,  after  traversing  the  marsh  of  Sedge- 
moor,  passes  by  Bridgewater,  and  forms  a  bay  in  the 
Bristol  Channel. 

Some  of  these  rivers  produce  abundance  of  common 
fish,  and  a  few  trout  may  be  taken  a  short  distance 
from  Bath. 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  369 


DORSETSHIRE. 

The  Charr,  the  Eype,  the  Wey,  the  Stoure,  and 
the  Froome,  are  the  chief  streams  of  this  county.  The 
three  former  rivers  are  all  bordering  upon  Devonshire ; 
they  descend  from  the  Dorsetshire  Downs.  The  former 
makes  its  exit  at  Charmouth ;  the  Eype,  joined  by  the 
Brit  from  Beminster,  falls  into  the  sea  in  Rridport  har- 
bour ;  the  Wey  falls  into  the  sea  at  Weymouth. 

THE  STOURE. 

'  The  Stoui'e  has  its  source  in  six  springs  at  Stourton, 
in  Wiltshire,  three  of  which  are  in  the  Park  at  Stour- 
head.  Passing  Gillingham  Forest  and  Shaftesbury,  it 
runs  to  Sturminster ;  from  thence,  pursuing  a  south- 
east direction,  it  is  joined  by  the  Allan  from  the  north, 
at  Winborn,  and  soon  after  entering  the  Avon,  the 
united  rivers  fall  into  the  sea  opposite  the  Isle  of  Wight. 

THE  FROOME 

Bises  in  the  Downs,  and,  passing  Marden  Newton,  flows 
on  to  Dorchester,  and  after  receiving  many  tributary 
streams  turns  eastward  to  Wareham,  and  constitutes 
Poole  harbour. 

The  trout  in  the  Stoure  are  very  numerous,  and 
also  in  the  water  near  Dorchester. 

B  B 


370  THE  BRITISH 


MONMOUTHSHIRE. 


The  Usk  (see  Brecknockshiie) ;  the  Wye  (see  Here- 
fordshire) ;  the  Monow^  the  Trothy^  the  Lug,  and  the 
Grayenny. 


THE  TROTHT^ 


After  a  short  conrsej  falls  into  the  Wye  below  Mon- 
mouth. 

The  Monow  has  been  noticed  under  the  head  of 
Herefordshire. 


NORTHAMFTONSHIRE. 

The  rivers  in  this  county  are  the  Nyne^  the  Leam^ 
the  Cherwell^  the  Ouse^  and  the  Welland. 

The  Nyne  or  Nen,  the  Learn,  and  the  Cherwell, 
rise  very  near  each  other,  but  pursue  different  courses. 
The  Nyne  runs  eastward,  by  Northampton  and  Peter- 
borough, and  enters  the  fens  of  Cambridgeshire.  The 
Leam  flows  westward,  and,  uniting  with  the  Cherwell, 
divides  this  county  and  Oxfordshire. 

the  ouse. 
This  river,  rising  near  Brackley,  partly  waters  this 


I 


angler's  manual.  371 

county,  but  soon  enters  Buckinghamshire,  and  dis- 
charges itself  in  the  great  gulf  between  Norfolk  and 
Lincolnshire, 

THE  WELLAND 

Rises  on  the  north  border  of  the  county,  and  is  well 
stored  with  fish. 


LEICESTERSHIRE. 

The  Soar  rises  in  the  western  part  of  the  county, 
and,  after  receiving  the  Wreke,  falls  into  the  Trent. 

The  Avon,  which  flows  into  Warwickshire,  and  the 
Anker  and  the  Welland,  which  have  a  north-east  course 
to  Harborough,  also  rise  in  the  western  part  of  the 
county.  The  principal  sport  to  be  had  in  these  slug- 
gish rivers  is  in  pike  and  perch-fishing. 


LINCOLNSHIRE. 


The  Trent  (already  described)  passes  the  western 
edge  of  this  county. 


372  THE  BRITISH 

THE  WELLAND 

Has  its  source  in  a  range  of  hills  between  Lutter- 
worth and  Harborough^  and  divides  Lincolnshire^ 
Leicestershire^  Rutland^  and  Northamptonshire^  and 
sinks  into  the  fens  of  Lincolnshire^  below  Deeping. 

THE  WITHAM 

Rises  near  a  >allage  of  that  name^  and  runs  by  Grantham 
to  Lincoln,  from  thence  to  Boston,  and  ultimately  forms 
a  part  of  Foss  Dyke.  These  rivers  abound  with  pike, 
perch,  and  eels. 


NOTTINGHAMSHIRE. 

The  great  river  of  this  (county  is  the  Trent  (see 
Staffordshire),  which  falls  into  the  Humber ;  formerly 
salmon  of  a  superior  description  were  caught  in  the 
neightourhood  of  Nottingham,  but  few  are  taken  now. 
Three  or  four  miles  above  or  below  the  town  I  have 
had  capital  pike  and  perch-fishing  in  the  Trent ;  large 
barbel  and  chub  are  also  abundant,  and  every  other 
kind  of  coarse  fish,  but  close  to  the  town  the  river  is 
too  often  fished  by  the  stocking-weavers  to  afford  much 
sport.     An  angler  who  makes  a  halt  at  Nottingham, 


ANGL£R^S  MANUAL.  878 

■will  find  much  to  interest  him  in  the  town  and  neigh- 
bourhood; the  castle  stands  upon  a  noble,  isolated 
rock,  commanding  a  widely  extended  view  over  a  flat, 
but  richly  cultivated  country.  Clifton  Grove,  and  the 
villages  of  Wilford,  Snenton,  and  Colwick,  are  of  a 
rural  character. 

I  must  not  leave  this  county  without  speaking  of  a 
peculiar  mode  of  fishing  for  gudgeons  practised  in  this 
river,  and  called  ^^  mudding  for  gudgeons.'^  Th^  angler 
wades  in  the  shallows,  and,  stirring  up  the  gravel  with 
his  feet,  draws  the  fish  to  his  bait,  thus  effecting  the 
purposes  of  the  rake  used  in  the  Thames.  Should  the 
angler  be  in  want  of  tackle,  he  may  be  well  supplied, 
at  a  very  moderate  charge,  by  E.  Lees,  at  the  sign  of 
the  Salmon,  5  Sussex  Street,  near  Broadmarsh.  I 
cannot  help  lingering  at  Nottingham,  where  I  first 
wetted  a  line,  and  imbibed  a  love  of  angling. 

THE  IDLE 

Bises  in  Sherwood  Forest,  and  flows  through  the 
beautiful  and  extensive  parks  of  Wellbeck,  Clumber, 
and  Thorsby.  Its  course  is  northward  through  the 
forest,  afterwards  eastward  ;  it  meets  the  Trent  at  the 
entrance  of  the  Isle  of  Axholme.  This  stream,  in  its 
course  through  the  parks,  abounds  with  trout,  but  a 
great  part  of  it  is  strictly  preserved.  There  is  also  a 
small  stream  near  the  pretty  town  of  Worksop,  well 
stored  with  fine  trout. 


374  THE  BRITISH 


CAMBRIDGESHIRE. 

The  Gam  is  the  chief  river  in  this  county^  and  has 
two  sources;  the  one  giving  its  name  springs  near 
Ashwell^  and  the  other^  the  classic  Granta^  rising  near 
Newport,  in  Essex,  flows  through  Audley  End,  and, 
after  receiving  several  small  tributary  streams,  unites 
with  the  Cam  near  Cambridge,  above  and  below  which 
place  there  is  excellent  pike  and  perch-fishing.  The 
Cam,  soon  after  it  leaves  Cambridge,  sinks  into  the 
fens ;  and  near  Harrimere  its  junction  with  the  Ouse 
takes  place,  and  thence  passing  through  a  dreary  tract 
of  marsh  to  Downham,  in  Norfolk,  the  exit  of  these 
rivers  is  at  the  flourishing  town  of  Lynn :  they  furnish 
excellent  pike  and  perch,  and  abundance  of  common 
fish.  ^ 


NORFOLK. 

The  Yare  rises  near  Attleborough,  receives  the 
Wensam,  the  Tase,  and  other  small  streams,  and,  be- 
coming navigable,  flows  to  Yarmouth,  when,  after  re- 
ceiving the  Waveney,  the  Bure,  and  the  Thym,  and 
passing  North  Walsham,  it  falls  into  the  German 
Ocean. 


J 


ANGLBR^S  MANUAL.  375 

THE  OUSE 

Divides  Norfolk  from  Suffolk  and  Cambridgeshire,  and, 
after  receiving  the  Little  Ouse,  empties  itself  into  Lynn 
Deeps. 

The  chief  sport  to  be  had  in  this  county  is  in  the 
vast  Broads,  or  Meres,  which  are  numerous  and  exten- 
sive, and  from  which  immense  numbers  of  large  pike 
and  perch  are  taken.  ^ 


SUFFOLK. 

The  Lesser  Ouse  rises  in  the  north  of  this  county, 
and  divides  it  from  Norfolk.  The  source  of  the  Wave- 
ney  is  also  in  the  north,  running  to  the  north-east,  and, 
passing  Beccles,  it  forms  two  streams,  one  of  which 
runs  towards  Lowestoff,  the  other  flows  northward,  and 
falls  into  the  Yare  near  Yarmouth. 

The  Aid,  the  Deben,  and  the  Blyth :  the  first  forms 
its  estuary  at  Orford ;  the  second  runs  by  Debenham 
to  Woodbridge,  and  falls  into  the  German  Ocean,  north 
of  Harwich  harbour ;  the  third  proceeds  from  two  small 
springs,  which  unite  near  Halesworth,  and,  running  to 
Royden,  empties  itself  into  the  sea  at  Southwold. 

THE  ORWELL,  OR  GIPPING, 

Rises  in  the  centre  of  the  county,  and,  running  to 


876  THE  BRITISH 

Ipswich,  it  makes  a  curve  to  the  south,  and  meets  the 
Stour  opposite  to  Harwich. 

THE  STOUB, 

Bising  in  the  south-west,  runs  to  Bury,  and  joins  the 
Great  Ouse  near  the  north-west  angle  of  this  county. 
Many  of  these  rivers  are  well-fumished  with  jack, 
perch,  and  coarse  fish. 


ESSEX. 


The  Blackwater  and  the  Chelmer  are  the  principal 
rivers  in  this  county,  with  the  exception  of  the  Thames. 


THE  COLNE 


Is  a  small  river  which  rises  on  the  borders  of  Suffolk, 
and,  running  by  Halstead  and  Colchester,  empties  itself 
into  a  creek  of  the  sea,  between  Mersey  Island  and  the 
Main. 


THE  STOUB, 


Of  Essex,  rises  at  Sturmer,  on  the  borders  of  Cambridge- 
shire, and,  passing  Sudbury  and  Mistley,  it  is  joined 
by  the  Brett,  near  Neyland,  and  dividing  this  county 
from  Suffolk,  meets  the  Orwell  from  Ipswich,  and  both 
rivers  fall  into  the  sea  at  Languard  Port. 


angler's  manual.  377 


THE  LEA 


Bises  near  Luton,  in  Bedfordshire,  in  a  marsh  called 
Leagrave,  and  pursues  a  south-east  course  to  Hertford 
and  Ware;  its  remaining  course  has  been  abeady  de- 
scribed. 

These  rivers  produce  pike,  perch,  carp,  tench,  eels, 
and  every  kind  of  coarse  fish,  but  very  few  trout; 
although  this  latter  fish  is  met  with  in  some  parts  of 
the  Lea. 


HERTFORDSHIRE. 


The  principal  rivers  of  this  county  are  the  Lea,  the 
Colne,  and  the  New  River.  The  two  former  have 
already  been  fully  described.  The  New  River  has  its 
source  near  Ware,  it  partly  suppUes  the  city  of  London 
with  water,  and  is  also  a  great  school  for  young  anglers. 


RUTLANDSHIRE. 


This  small  county  is  said  to  claim  but  one  native 
river,  i.  e.  the  Guash,  or  Wash,  to  which  Drayton  al- 
ludes in  his  "  Polyolbion  :" — 

**  Small  shire  that  can  produce  to  thy  proportion  good, 
One  vale  of  special  name,  one  forest,  and  one  flood.'' 


378  THE  BRITISH 

The  Guash  rises  in  Leicestershire^  and  winds  through 
this  county  from  east  to  west.  There  are  other  incon- 
siderable streams  which  produce  pike^  perch^  &c. 


KENT. 


Several  of  the  rivers  of  this  fine  county  have  ahready 
been  described  in  my  account  of  the  principal  trout- 
streams  near  London ;  but  the 


MEDWAY 


Is  the  principal  river  of  the  county.  It  enters  Kent 
near  Penshurst,  and  crosses  the  country  to  Maidstone 
and  Rochester^  below  which  it  joins  Chatham  Dock^ 
and  from  thence  falls  into  the  mouth  of  the  Thames^ 
between  the  isles  of  Sheppey  and  Grain. 


THE  STOUR 


Rises  in  the  Weald,  and,  flowing  by  Canterbury,  falls 
into  the  sea  below  Sandwich.  Izaak  Walton  speaks  of 
the  Fordwich  trout  as  ^^  being  very  peculiar,  and  of  a 
distinct  species,"  but  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  fish  he 
alluded  to  were  the  salmon-trout,  which  are  frequently 
taken  in  the  Stour.  I  have  had  good  sport  in  this 
river,  but,  of  late  years,  the  fishing  has  been  injured  by 
the  great  increase  in  the  number  of  pike. 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  379 


SURREY. 

The  rivers  of  Surrey  have  been  described  under  the 
head  of  "Trout-streams  near  London/^  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the 

WEY, 

Which  rises  in  two  branches,  in  the  eastern  part  of 
Hampshire ;  one  of  these  runs  through  a  pleasant  vale 
to  Famham,  and,  after  their  imion,  flows  eastward  by 
Godalming,  and  from  thence,  north-easterly,  to  Guild- 
ford, and  falls  into  the  Thames  below  Weybridge. 

This  river  is  well  suppUed  with  fish,  and  is  said  to 
breed  very  fine  carp. 


SUSSEX. 

The  principal  rivers  are  the  Arun,  the  Adur,  the 
Ouse,  the  Cockmare,  the  Rother,  the  Breke,  and  the 
Levant. 

the  arun 

Rises  near  Harsham,  and,  passing  Arundel,  falls  into 
the  sea  two  or  three  miles  below  it. 

THE  adur 

Rises  in  the  same  district  as  the  Arun,  and  falls  into 
the  sea  near  Shoreham. 


880  THE  BRITISH 

THE  OUSE  AND  THE  COCKMABE 

Rise  in  the  Wealds,  the  former  forms  two  branches ; 
they  unite  near  Lewes,  and  run  into  the  sea  at  New- 
haven. 

THE  BOTHER 

Rises  near  the  village  of  Mayfield,  in  Kent,  which 
county  it  separates  from  Sussex.  The  Breke  joins  the 
Rother  below  Winchelsea,  and  the  united  streams  fall 
into  the  great  basin  to  the  east  of  the  port  of  Rye,  and 
form  Ryehaven.     The  Levant  runs  by  Chichester. 

These  streams  afford  abundance  of  common  fish,  and 
the  Arun  is  famous  for  mullets,  of  a  deUcious  flavour, 
said  to  be  imparted  to  them  by  their  feeding  upon  a 
particular  weed  which  grows  in  that  river. 


HUNTINGDONSHIRE. 


The  Nen,  the  Nyne,  or  Nine,  rises  in  two  branches 
on  the  north  and  south  sides  of  Daventree. 


THE  OUSE 


Enters  the  county  by  St.  Neot^s,  and  runs  by  Hun- 
tingdon. 

There  are  also  many  meres  in  this  county,  of  which 


angler's  manual.  381 

Whittlesea  is  the  largest,  being  six  miles  long  and 
three  broad,  abounding  with  large  pike,  perch,  eels, 
and  bream. 


BUCKINGHAMSHIRE. 


The  rivers  of  this  county  are  the  Thames,  the  Ouse, 
the  Coin,  and  the  Wick. 


THE  OUSE. 

This  river  nearly  surrounds  the  town  of  Bucking- 
ham; the  Coin  flows  by  the  rural  villages  of  Bibury 
and  Barnsley,  and  thence  to  Rickmansworth.  In  a 
branch  of  this  river,  near  Cheyney,  Sir  Anthony  Car- 
lisle, one  of  the  most  skilful  fly-fishers  in  England,  once 
killed  sixty  brace  of  trout  in  a  few  hours. 

THE  WICK 

Bises  not  far  from  West  Wycombe,  runs  through  the 
park  grounds  of  Lord  Carrington  and  the  town  of 
High  Wycombe,  and  after  thus  winding  through  a  rich 
country,  and  supplying  a  number  of  paper-mills,  it  falls 
into  the  Thames  near  Marlow. 

I  have  already  spbken  of  this  beautiful  Uttle  river, 
under  the  head  of  "Trout-streams  in  the  vicinity  of 
London.^^ 


382  THE  BRITISH 


OXFORDSHIRE. 


The  Thames^  the  Isis,  the  Windrush,  the  Evenlode, 
and  the  Cherwell,  are  the  principal  rivers  of  this  county ; 
the  two  first  have  been  abeady  described. 


THE  WINDRUSH 


Kises  in  the  Cotswold  hills,  and,  running  by  Burford 
and  Witney,  falls  into  the  Isis ;  after  this  junction,  the 
Isis  takes  a  north-east  course  to  Eynsham,  and  there 
unites  with  the 


EVENLODE, 


Which  also  rises  in  the  Cotswold  hills,  and  flows  by 
Whichwood  Forest  and  Charlbury. 


THE  CHERWELL 


Has  its  source  in  Northamptonshire,  and,  after  flowing 
through  the  middle  of  this  county  for  some  distance, 
joins  the  Isis. 

These  rivers  afford  a  few  trout,  and  are  abundantly 
stored  with  pike,  perch,  eels,  and  common  fish. 


1 


angler's  manual.  383 


WARWICKSHIRE. 

The  principal  rivers  are  the  Avon,  the  Tame,  the 
Anker,  the  Blyth,  the  Arrow,  and  the  Learn;  nearly 
the  whole  of  these  rivers  have  been  already  described. 

THE  LEAM 

Rises  in  the  eastern  borders  of  the  county,  and  joins 
the  Avon,  near  Warwick.  Some  of  these  streams  fur- 
nish trout,  and  all  of  them  common  fish.  The  Blyth 
and  the  Tame  are  noted  for  their  large  bream. 


BEDFORDSHIRE. 

The  rivers  are  the  Ouse,  the  Hyel,  and  the  Ivel. 

THE  OUSE 

Kises  in  the  county  of  Northampton,  and,  passing 
through  Buckinghamshire,  Bedfordshire,  Cambridge- 
shire, and  Norfolk,  falls  into  the  German  Ocean  below 
Lynn. 

The  Hyel  runs  by  Wobum,  and  the  Ivel  by  Biggles- 
wade, and  both  these  streams  fall  into  the  Ouse ;  they 
are  sluggish  rivers,  but  abound  with  pike,  perch,  and 
coarse  fish. 


384  THK  BRITISH 


MIDDLESEX. 


The  rivers  of  this  comity  are  the  Thames^  the  Coin, 
and  the  Lea ;  these  rivers  have  all  been  described  under 
the  heads  of  '^  Thames-fishing/^  and  "  Trout-streams  in 
the  vicinity  of  London/^ 


SOME  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  RIVERS  IN  WALES. 

This  picturesque  portion  of  Great  Britain  is  alike 
attractive  to  the  angler  and  the  artist,  and  there  is 
scarcely  a  district  in  the  principality  that  will  not  fur- 
nish employment  for  the  one  or  the  other.  In  my 
notice  of  the  Welsh  rivers  I  shall  confine  myself  to 
those  in  which  I  have  fished;  and  having  made  five 
several  excursions,  viz.  two  to  North  Wales,  and  three 
to  South  Wales,  for  the  purposes  of  sketching  and 
fishing,  I  shall  be  enabled  to  describe  several  of  the 
principal  rivers  and  lakes,  and  thus  accompany  my 
scenery.  For  an  account  of  the  numerous  streams 
with  which  I  am  unacquainted,  I  can,  with  confidence, 
refer  the  angler  to  a  work  entitled  ''  Trout  and 
Salmon-fishiQg  in  Wales,^^  by  George  Agar  Hansard, 
as  he  gives  a  copious  and  detailed  account  of  all  the 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  385 

lakes^  rivers,  and  fishing-stations  in  the  principality.  I 
have  already  described  the  Dee  and  the  Wye,  under  the 
heads  of  Gloucestershire,  Herefordshire,  and  Cheshire. 

On  my  first  visit  to  North  Wales  I  went  by  way  of 

Chester,  and  walked  from  that  picturesque  and  ancient 

city  to  Mold,  ten  or  twelve  miles,  where  I  found  a 

beautiful  stream,  I  believe  the  Clwydd,  and  had  excellent 

sport.     This  river  waters  the  celebrated  and  extensive 

vale  to  which  it  gives  its  name,  and  from  thence,  after 

its  junction  with  the  Elwy,  below  St.  Asaph,  it  soon 

falls  into  the  sea.      The  trout-fishing  in  the  vale  of 

Clwydd  is  good,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  St.  Asaph  salmon 

and  salmon-trout  are  taken.     Prom  Mold  to  Ruthin,  a 

walk   of  twelve   miles  brought  me  to  another  pretty 

trout-stream ;  and  in  a  mill-dam  I  caught  a  number  of 

fine  trout,  by  using  a  small  quill-float,  and  a  No.  12 

hook,  with  a  couple  of  house-flies,  or  a  green -bodied 

fly,  caught  on  newly  dropped  horse  or  cow-dung,  and 

fishing  near  the  bottom.     I  had  recourse  to  this  mode, 

because  there  was  not  a  breath  of  air  to  stir  the  water 

of  the  mill-pool,  and  of  course  the  artificial  fly  would 

have  been  useless. 

There  are  the  remains  of  an  old  castle  at  this  place, 
but  not  of  a  very  picturesque  character ;  from  thence  I 
proceeded  to  Denbigh,  where  I  saw  the  ruins  of  a  very 
fine  old  castle,  and  then  to  St.  Asaph,  where  good 
fishing  may  be  had.      I  visited  some  romantic  rocky 

c  c 


386  THE  BRITISH 

scenery  up  the  Clwydd,  about  five  miles,  where  the 
trout-fishing  was  capital. 

Two  miles  below  St.  Asaph  there  is  an  old  castle,  on 
a  gentle  elevation,  which  is  a  very  picturesque  object ; 
and  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year  the  river  is  well  far- 
nished  with  sea-trout. 

Prom  St.  Asaph  I  went  by  Abergeley  to  Conway, 
where  the  castle  is  a  noble  object;  and,  indeed,  the 
whole  town  being  fortified,  walled,  and  protected  by 
twenty-four  towers  and  four  gates,  has  something  in  its 
appearance  very  novel  and  striking.  The  Conway 
here  is  a  considerable  river,  and  a  few  miles  higher  up 
the  stream  there  is  good  trout-fishing,  and  salmon  are 
sometimes  taken  with  the  fly.  The  flies  I  should  re- 
commend for  trout  are  the  dark  dun-hackle.  No.  42  ; 
and  a  wren-hackle,  with  peacock  herl  body.  No.  43. 

Soon  after  leaving  Conway,  I  wound  my  way  along 
the  coast  under  the  mighty  Penmaen-Mawr,  to  the 
Bull  Inn  at  Aber,  where  I  remained  two  days,  and  had 
tolerable  sport  in  the  small  stream  that  falls  into  the 
sea  at  that  place.  I  traced  its  course  upwards  for 
about  two  miles,  and  then  found  this  narrow  ravine  ter- 
minated by  an  immense  semicircular  barrier  of  perpen- 
dicular rocks,  from  the  summits  of  which  were  precipi- 
tated the  river,  in  two  distinct  channels,  called  the 
"  Falls  of  Aber.^^  The  scenery  is  very  grand,  and 
forms  a  fine  subject  for  the  pencil :  the  great  fall  is 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  387 

nearly  perpendicular,  but  the  lesser  one  may  be  called  a 
succession  of  small  cascades,  and  I  was  enabled  to  climb 
up  the  rocky  steeps  to  a  considerable  height,  and  can 
safely  say,  I  caught  one  trout,  at  least,  in  every  one  of 
the  rocky  basins  formed  by  these  tiny  waterfalls; 
amongst  which  I  should  have  continued  much  longer, 
had  I  not  been  deterred  by  the  number  of  slow-worms 
which  I  met  with  in  my  rugged  path,  as  I  then  suffered 
under  the  vulgar  error  of  believing  these  reptiles  to  be 
highly  venomous. 

In  the  stream  below  I  caught  a  number  of  small 
trout  and  brandling,  with  blue,  red,  and  black  hackle- 
flies,  and  was  informed  that,  after  the  first  fresh  in 
August,  sea-trout  come  up  the  stream  from  the  sea,  and 
afford  great  sport. 

From  Aber  I  proceeded  to  the  little  city  of  Bangor, 
which  possesses  a  cathedral  and  palace  for  its  bishop, 
but  has,  of  late,  become  more  remarkable  for  having 
one  of  the  finest  inns  in  Great  Britain,  "  The  Penryn 
Arms 'y^  and  for  its  vicinity  to  the  celebrated  Menai 
Bridge.  On  arriving  soon  after  at  Caernarvon,  I  was 
struck  with  the  extent  of  the  castle ;  but,  as  I  was  in 
search  of  rivers  and  lakes,  rather  than  cities  and  castles, 
I  proceeded  at  once  to  the  lakes  of  Llanberris.  I  was 
in  company  with  an  amateur  artist,  and  we  were  in- 
formed that,  on  taking  the  nearest  road,  we  should  only 
have  seven  miles  to  walk  to  the  small  public-house  on 
the  borders  of  the  lake. 


388  THE  BRITISH 

After  receiving  instructions  as  to  our  roate^  we  set 
off  from  Caernarvon,  about  seven  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing (early  in  July),  thinking  we  should  have  sufficient 
dayUght  to  reach  our  quarters  for  the  night ;  but,  after 
walking  briskly  for  two  hours,  without  any  sign  of  a 
lake,  we  anxiously  inquired  of  the  few  persons  we  met 
"  if  we  were  in  the  right  road  to  Llanberris  V  but  re- 
ceived no  other  answer  than  a  surly  ^'  dim  SassinachJ' 
In  short,  we  wandered  several  miles  further  on,  tiD 
darkness  overtook  us  (the  night  being  cloudy),  and  as 
we  had  more  than  once  fallen  into  a  bog,  came,  at  last, 
to  the  determination  to  rest  upon  some  large  stones 
until  the  break  of  day.  Here  we  sat  from  midnight 
tiU  soon  after  dawn,  when  we  found  ourselves  within  a 
hundred  yards  of  the  soUtary  house  of  entertainment 
we  had  been  so  long  looking  for.  This  house  was  then 
(thirty  years  ago)  of  the  humblest  description ;  but  on 
my  re-visiting  these  lakes  five  years  since,  I  found  a 
comfortable  inn,  and  a  large  new  hotel,  building. 

Having  obtained  admittance,  and  enjoyed  a  few 
hours^  rest,  in  the  morning  we  were  delighted  with  the 
grandeur  of  the  scene  before  us.  The  sparkling  lake, 
the  old  tower  of  Dolbadem,  the  far-sounding  waterfall, 
lofty  surrounding  mountains,  and,  towering  above  all, 
the  majestic  Snowdon,  with  its  alpine  peaks,  formed  a 
coup  d'oeil  of  matchless  beauty.  I  had  not  much  sport 
on  the  lake,  for,  even  at  that  time,  the  fishing  had  been 
greatly  injured  by  the  copper  mines. 


angler's  manual.  389 

A  walk  of  nine  miles  carried  us,  through  the  wildest 
and  most  sterile  pass  of  rocks  and  stones  I  had  ever 
seen,  to  Beddgelert,  where  we  found  a  comfortable  inn, 
with  good  trout  and  mountain  mutton  for  dinner,  and  a 
Welsh  harper  to  amuse  us  during  our  meal.  The 
church  here  is  almost  as  small  as  that  of  Buttermere,  in 
Cumberland. 

A  walk  of  two  miles  by  the  side  of  a  mountain  tor- 
rent (the  Colwyn)  brought  us  next  to  Pont-Aberglaslyn, 
the  bridge  which  unites  the  counties  of  Merioneth  and 
Caernarvon.  It  consists  of  one  wide  arch,  and  connects 
two  perpendicular  precipices,  one  of  which  is  an  im- 
pending craggy  rock,  full  eight  hundred  feet  in  height ; 
near  the  bridge,  the  river  falls  down  a  rugged  break  of 
about  twelve  feet>  forming  what  is  called  a  "  salmon- 
leap. '^  This  fall  is  only  a  few  miles  from  the  sea,  and 
has  long  been  remarkable  for  the  number  of  salmon 
which  come  up  the  river  in  the  beginning  of  October, 
in  order  to  deposit  their  spawn  in  the  sandy  shallows. 
It  is  not  an  uncommon  thing  at  this  season  to  see  from 
twenty  to  thirty  in  the  course  of  an  hour  attempting  to 
pass  the  fall,  many  of  which  succeed.  In  the  deep 
pools  below  the  bridge  numbers  of  salmon  are  taken  by 
spearing. 

There  are  fine  studies  for  the  artist  in  this  wild 
pass. 

Below  the  bridge  I  caught  some  good  trout  and  a 
number  of  brandlings,  but  was  not  so  fortunate  as  to 


390  THE  BminsH 

raiBe  a  salmon.  I  met  with  an  Irish  goitleman  wlio 
was  spinning  an  artificial  minnow,  certainly  voy  wdl 
made,  who  informed  me  "  that  he  had  hooked  two  fine 
salmon  the  day  before  with  the  same  kind  of  bait,  hat 
in  both  instances  lost  his  fish  and  his  tacUe.^' 

This  was  the  extreme  point  c^onr  excoraion,  and  ire 
returned  to  Caernarvon  by  a  road  which  leada  to  Nant 
Mill,  long  a  favourite  study  of  artists.  About  midway 
between  Beddgelert  and  Caernarvon  there  is  a  public- 
house,  from  whence  Snowdon  may  be  ascended^  and  a 
guide  procured.  I  found  the  ascent  laborious,  but  was 
amply  repaid  by  witnessing  a  glorious  sunset  from  the 
highest  peak  of  this  king  of  the  British  mountains. 

Opposite  the  inn,  at  the  distance  of  about  half  a 
mile,  there  is  a  small  but  deep  lake,  which  we  were  told 
contained  charr.  I  had  a  favourable  breeze,  and  caught 
some  very  large  trout.  Leaving  this  lake,  we  arrived 
next  at  Nant  Mill,  of  which  we  made  sketches,  and  then 
proceeded  to  the  little  village  of  Bettws,  where  we  had 
a  late  dinner  of  ham,  eggs,  and  salad,  with  a  quart  of 
ale  as  bright  as  amber,  for  which  we  were  charged  al- 
together one  shilling  and  ninepence.  Another  walk  of 
five  miles  brought  us  to  Caernarvon,  where,  the  next 
day,  we  took  a  passage  for  Chester,  in  a  trader  bound 
to  that  city. 

My  next  visit  to  Wales  was  for  the  purpose  of 
making  the  tour  of  the  Wye,  with  two  brother  artists ; 
and  as  they  were  not  fishermen,  and  our  great  object 


angler's  manual.  391 

was  painting  from  nature,  I  had  the  resolution  to  leave 
my  rod  at  home. 

My  third  excursion  was  into  South  Wales,  made 
principally  with  a  view  to  fishing  in  the  Usk,  in  con- 
sequence of  my  having  read  "  Familiar  Letters  on 
AngUng,  by  Robert  Lascelles,  Esq./'*  where  that  river 
receives  a  very  flattering  testimony  in  its  favour.  I  was 
accompanied  by  my  wife,  and  we  took  lodgings  at  the 
beautiful  little  town  of  Crickhowel,  in  Brecknockshire, 
one  hundred  and  fifty-four  miles  from  London ;  and  I 
do  not  think  a  more  delightftd  summer  retreat  for  the 
artist  and  angler  could  be  found.  Although  small  and 
unpretending,  this  place  has  the  ruins  of  a  castle;  and 
in  the  neighbourhood  are  many  gentlemen's  seats.  The 
rich  valley,  noble  river,  mountains  cultivated  almost  to 
their  summits,  which  are  crowned  by  lofty  precipitous 
rocks,  numerous  trees  and  corn-fields,  then  waving 
with  their  golden  store,  rendered  every  view  presented 
in  our  walks  a  terrestrial  paradise. 

The  appearance  of  the  Usk  is  every  thing  that  a 
trout  or  salmon-fisher  can  desire ;  alternate  deep  pools 
and  rippUng  shallows,  torrents  over  rocky  beds,  smoothly 
flowing  streams,  and  gravelly  shoals  everywhere  give 
promise  of  sport.  I  must  confess  that  my  first  day's 
fishing,  nevertheless,  greatly  disappointed  me :  during 


*  Perhaps  one  of  the  best  anglers  that  ever  threw  a  fly :  Mr. 
Lascelles  tjaught,  I  believe,  dancing  at  Liverpool. — Ed. 


392  THE  BRITISH 

the  heat  and  brightness  of  the  day  I  did  not  raise  a 
single  trout,  though  I  caught  some  brandlings ;  but  as 
this  was  early  in  August,  the  water  very  low  and  bright, 
and  the  sun  intensely  hot,  I  ought  not  to  have  expected 
sport.  After  sunset  I  caught  a  few  fine  trout,  with 
Hofland's  fancy,  No.  2 ;  and  the  coch-a-bonddu. 
No.  35. 

Before  I  return  to  fishing  on  the  Usk,  I  must  ex- 
press my  regret  that  this  fine  river  is  badly  preserved, 
and  shamefully  poached.  The  gentleman  who  suc- 
ceeded Admiral  Gell  preserves  the  water  contiguous  to 
his  house  and  grounds,  and  requires  visitors  to  Crick- 
howel  to  ask  his  permission  to  angle  in  the  Usk ;  but 
still  the  water  is  dreadfully  poached ;  and  the  same  may 
be  said  of  the  neighbourhood  of  Brecon.  I  must 
confess  that  I  tried  the  Usk  at  the  worst  season  of  the 
year,  viz.  the  months  of  July  and  August.  Should  the 
season  happen  to  be  a  dry  one,  very  little  sport  can  be 
expected  in  rivers  during  these  months,  except  for  an 
hour  after  sunset ;  but  should  the  weather  be  showery, 
and  the  water  high  and  a  little  discoloured,  sport  may 
be  expected. 

For  several  days  after  my  arrival  at  Crickhowel  the 
weather  continued  intensely  hot  and  bright,  and  I  con- 
tented myself  with  fishing  for  brandling,  with  three 
small  hackle-flies,  a  red,  a  blue,  and  a  black ;  each  fly 
pointed  with  a  gentle.  These  beautiful  little  fish  are 
numerous  in  the  Usk,  and  are  very  good  eating;  in 


ANGLER  S  MANUAL.  393 

the  evenings,  so  long  as  I  could  see  to  manage  my  fly, 
I  could  kill  trout. 

The  fifth  day  after  my  arrival  we  had  a  violent 
thunder-storm,  and  many  hours  of  heavy  rain ;  the  day 
after  which  I  found  the  water  in  fine  condition,  as  it 
was  rapidly  clearing.  I  used  for  a  stretcher  Hofland's 
fancy.  No.  2  :  the  blue  dun.  No.  4 ;  and  the  small 
soldier-palmer.  No.  27 ;  and  with  these  three  fiies  had 
capital  sport,  killing  ten  brace  of  fine  trout  in  a  few 
hours :  the  water  clears  and  falls  so  rapidly  that,  the 
day  following,  I  had  but  httle  success. 

I  had  not  any  salmon-tackle  with  me,  but  I  raised 
a  fine  salmon  with  a  trout-fiy,  but  did  not  take  him ;  a 
friend  of  mine  has  frequently  taken  small  salmon  in  the 
Usk  with  a  trout-fiy,  but  these  fish  are  said  to  be  not  so 
good  in  the  Usk  as  in  the  other  rivers  of  South  Wales. 
I  must  here  relate  a  circumstance  which  occurred 
during  my  stay,  which  is  so  complimentary  to  Hofiand^s 
fancy.  No.  2,  that  I  should  not  have  ventured  to  tell  the 
story  without  having  a  witness  of  its  truth.  My  friend, 
Mr.  Linton,  the  landscape-painter,  soon  after  our  arrival 
at  Crickhowel,  joined  us  in  our  lodgings ;  and,  although 
he  was  at  that  time  no  fisherman,  enjoyed  the  trout  I 
caught  for  dinner,  or  more  frequently  for  supper,  and 
on  one  occasion,  after  tea,  proposed  walking  with  me  to 
the  river,  and  seeing  me  take  them.  We  reached  the 
water-side  at  twilight,  and  having  prepared  my  tackle, 
with  a  small  soldier-palmer  and  Hofland^s  fancy,  I  ob- 


394  THB  BmiTISH 

served  a  small  red  spinner  very  strong  on  the  water; 
haying  caught  one^  I  pointed  oat  to  Mr.  Linton  the 
near  resemblance  of  my  fly  to  the  natural  one  I  had 
taken.  Immediately  opposite  to  us  rose  a  wooded  slope^ 
the  trees  overhanging  the  stream^  bat  the  river  was  of 
sufficient  width  to  prevent  my  fly  reaching  the  wood ; 
yet,  on  my  first  cast  of  the  line,  I  felt  a  check  which 
induced  me  to  suppose  I  had  caught  the  trees,  bat  on 
looking  I  found  I  had  hooked  a  swallow.  Having 
wound  up  my  line  gently,  Mr.  Linton  secured  the  poor 
bird,  which  was  firmly  hooked  through  the  upper  bill ; 
I  carefully  extricated  him,  and,  having  a  witness  to  the 
deceptive  character  of  my  favourite  fly,  I  gave  him 
freedom. 

The  romantic  and  sequestered  village  of  Llangynider 
is  five  miles  from  Crickhowel ;  the  scenery  consists  of 
the  most  beautiful  combinations  of  woods,  rocks,  and 
water,  and  the  fishing  is  excellent.  The  accommodation 
at  the  public-house  is  of  the  humblest  description,  and 
our  Mend  was  so  much  alarmed  at  the  kind  of  lodging 
ofiered  him — in  the  same  room  with  our  landlady  and 
her  two  daughters — that  he  walked  back  to  Crickhowel. 
There  is  a  canal  which  runs  nearly  parallel  to  the  Usk, 
towards  Llangynider,  well  stored  with  trout,  and  they 
may  be  taken  by  fishing  with  a  small  quiU-float  and 
one  shot  on  your  line,  and  a  hook.  No.  10,  baited  with 
a  gentle,  or  with  house-flies. 

There  are  many  first-rate  situations  on  the  Usk  for 


ANOLER^S  MANUAL.  395 

bush  or  shade-fishings  as  there  are  many  overhanging 
trees  and  deep  pools^  and  trout  may  be  taken  in  this 
manner  with  the  natural  fly,  when  the  weather  and  the 
water  are  too  bright  for  the  artificial  fly.  We  next 
took  up  our  quarters  at  Brecon  for  some  weeks,  and 
were  all  delighted  with  that  picturesque  old  town,  and 
its  beautiful  vicinity.  The  Van,  sometimes  called  the 
black  mountain,  is  equal,  in  form  and  grandeur  of 
character,  to  any  thing  in  North  Wales ;  and  the  old 
castle,  the  priory  church,  and  the  river  Hodni,  are  all 
objects  of  great  interest.  The  fishing  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood is  quite  equal  to  that  of  Crickhowel. 

[Mr.  Hofiand  has  hardly  done  justice  to  the  fishing 
in  the  Usk,  or  to  the  beautiful  scenery  through  which 
it  flows.  The  vale  of  Usk  is  truly  delightful,  and  the 
river  winds  in  a  tortuous  and  picturesque  manner 
through  the  middle  of  it.  The  bleak  mountains,  some- 
times partially  obscured  by  fleeting  clouds,  and  then 
bursting  into  full  view,  with  the  whitewashed  cottages 
and  farm-houses  which  help  to  enrich  the  scene,  are 
viewed  with  the  happiest  effect.  The  Usk,  like  a  play- 
ful child,  sometimes  hides  itself,  and  then  again  bursts 
into  view  in  the  most  smiling  manner.  The  trout 
caught  in  it  are  larger,  and  of  a  deeper  colour  and 
higher  flavour,  than  those  of  the  Wye,  and  the  salmon- 
fishing  is  excellent. 

The  river  appears  to  great  advantage  from  the  ro- 
mantic town  of  Brecon,  where  so  much  that  is  interest- 


396  THE  BRITISH 

ing  and  beautiful  is  to  be  seen.  Here  are  ruins  of 
almost  every  kind ;  old  towers^  old  churches^  occasion- 
ally rapid  torrents,  with  broken  grounds  and  a  charm- 
ing combination  of  trees,  rocks,  and  a  foaming  stream, 
as  you  enter  the  town  from  Hay. 

But  there  is  one  place  at  Brecon  to  which  the 
wandering  angler's  attention  should  be  directed.  It  is 
the  interesting  old  cathedral — now  fast  mouldering 
away,  neglected,  forsaken,  and  almost  unknown.  Who 
can  see  it  without  feelings  of  the  deepest  regret  ?  No 
solemn  anthem  now  ascends  to  heaven,  no  choral  praise 
is  heard.  The  insidious  ivy  creeps  through  the  roof, 
the  floor  is  damp,  and  the  old  oak  stalls,  with  their 
curiously  carved  Misereries,  are  fast  falling  into  decay. 
And  why  is  this  ?  Are  there  no  funds  to  keep  it  in 
repair,  no  estates  attached  to  its  original  foundation  ? 
Where  is  the  dean  who  occupied  the  stall  on  which  his 
name  is  inscribed,  or  the  precentor  or  presbyters  who  sat 
in  the  others  ?  Did  they  resign  their  ecclesiastic  duties 
because  their  decaying  incomes  kept  pace  with  the  decay 
of  the  sacred  edifice?  Nothing  of  this  is  the  case. 
The  Bishop  of  St.  David's  is  the  dean,  and  there  are  no 
less  than  fifteen  prebendaries ;  all  of  them,  the  bishop 
included,  deriving  considerable  incomes  from  this  neg- 
lected cathedral.  It  might  have  been  thought  that  the 
monument  of  Dr.  George  Ball — that  learned  bishop  — 
who  did  so  much  honour  to  his  country,  and  to  the 
diocese  of  St.  David's,  over  which  he  presided,  would 


ANOLER^S  MANUAL.  397 

have  called  forth  some  compunctions,  some  regrets,  when 
the  auditor  paid  the  half-yearly  incomes  of  these  sine- 
curist  churchmen  for  a  church  they  neither  visit  nor 
uphold.  And  then  the  noble  monument — one  of  the 
finest  in  England — of  the  Lucy  family,  and  many  others 
of  great  interest  and  antiquity,  all  are  neglected  and 
subjected  to  spoliation,  for  there  was  no  one  present  to 
protect  them  when  I  entered  the  venerable  sanctuary. 
Even  the  sexton,  with  his  paltry  salary  of  five  pounds 
a-year,  has  not  received  one  farthing  of  it  for  many  long 
years.  Yet  the  estates  flourish,  the  rents  are  paid,  and 
the  dean  and  prebendaries  pocket  the  money.  The 
livings  which  pious  men  left  to  this  church  are  still  held 
by  them,  and  yet  it  is  all  decay,  ruin,  and  desolation  I 

If  the  good,  and  excellent,  and  venerable  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury,  should  ever  read  these  lines  (and 
his  commendation  of  some  of  my  writings  has  been  a 
source  of  the  highest  gratification  to  me),  let  me  hope 
that  he  will  exert  his  powerful  influence  in  protecting 
one  of  our  earliest  and  most  interesting  churches  from 
further  neglect  and  desecration. — Ed.] 

The  flies  I  should  recommend  for  the  Usk,  in  ad- 
dition to  those  already  mentioned,  are  the  March-brown, 
No.  3 ;  the  stone-fly.  No.  23 ;  Edmondson's  Welsh  fly. 
No.  12 ;  the  hare^s-ear  dun,  No.  11 ;  and  the  iron-blue. 
No.  16. 

I  must  here  remark  of  the  Usk,  that  the  trout  are 
much  earlier  in  season  in  that  than  in  many  other 


398  THS  BRITISH 

riTers ;  the  fishing  commenoes  in  March^  and  the  trout 
are  in  good  season  in  the  hitter  end  of  AprU^  or  be- 
ginning of  May^  at  which  time  they  rise  more  freely 
than  at  any  other  period  of  the  year. 

There  is  a  lake  between  Crickhowel  and  Brecon^ 
called  Llyn  Savador^  containing  pike^  perch^  and  eels^ 
of  enormons  size,  sometimes  weighing  forty  pounds  * 

We  returned  by  way  of  Monmouth^  which  town^ 
though  pleasantly  situated  on  the  Wye^  is  not  a  good 
fishing-station ;  but  a  few  miles  up  the  stream  the 
sport  improves^  and  continues  to  do  so  to  the  source  of 
this  beautiful  river^  in  the  mountain  of  Plinlimmon. 

The  Monow  falls  into  the  Wye  a  little  below  Mon- 
mouth. I  fished  this  pretty  stream  about  ten  miles 
above  the  town^  and  had  good  sport ;  but  it  is  in  most 
parts  closely  wooded,  and  it  is  difficult  to  throw  your 
fiy  successfully,  without  wading. 

My  next  visit  to  North  Wales  was  again  by  Chester. 
A  dear  friend  gave  me  a  place  in  his  carriage  from  that 
city  to  Capel  Curig;  our  route  was  by  Wrexham 
Wynnstay  (the  seat  of  Sir  W.  W.  Wynn,  Bart.),  and 
the  noble  aqueduct,  Pont-y-Cyssy-ilte,  over  the  river 
Dee.  The  scene  from  this  elevated  point,  looking  down 
upon  the  river  and  the  rich  vale  of  Llangollen,  is  of 
enchanting  beauty.     From  the  romantic  town  of  Uan- 


*  This  Is  evidently  a  mistake :  Mr.  Hofland  must  mean  that  the 
pike  sometimes  weigh  forty  pounds. — ^Ed. 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  399 

goUen  (previously  described)  we  proceeded  to  Corwen, 
and  jBrom  thence  to  the  picturesque  village  of  Bettws-y- 
Coed,  a  little  beyond  which,  to  the  right  of  the  Capel 
Curig  road,  is  the  fine  waterfall  called  Rhaider-y-wennol, 
and  five  miles  further  brought  us  to  the  inn  at  Capel 
Curig;  and  at  this  dehghtfol  fishing-station  I  took  up 
my  abode  for  ten  days,  whilst  my  friend  made  an  ex- 
cursion to  Dublin. 

The  inn  here  is  large  and  commodious,  and  in  the 
centre  of  the  most  subUme  scenery.  From  the  garden 
of  the  house,  immediately  below  the  eye,  are  the  two 
lakes,  Llyn-y-Elider  Vawr  and  Llyn-Cerig,  or  Curig, 
backed  by  the  whole  range  of  Snowdon,  which  is  here 
seen  to  the  greatest  possible  advantage.  The  accom- 
panying view  is  taken  from  this  point. 

My  visit  was  in  the  beginning  of  August,  1831,  and 
we  had  had  a  long  dry  season,  so  that  the  rivers  and 
lakes  were  very  low,  and  promised  but  Uttle  sport ;  but, 
fortunately,  the  min  began  to  fall  as  we  left  Rhaider-y- 
wennol,  and  continued  for  twenty-four  hours,  so  that  on 
the  second  day  after  my  arrival  the  water  was  in  the 
best  possible  order.  The  river  Llugwy,  which  falls  into 
the  lake,  was  beginning  to  clear,  and  in  a  few  hours  I 
caught  thirty  brace  of  small  trout,  with  Hofland^s  fancy. 
No.  2,  and  a  small  red  hackle  palmer.  The  next  day 
the  water  had  run  down,  and  I  had  little  sport  on  the 
river ;  but  I  tried  the  lake  with  great  success :  it  had 
risen  considerably,  and  the  fresh  water  had  made  the 


400  THE  BBIT18H 

fish  all  alive.  I  had  a  fine  breeze^  and  with  the  follow- 
ing flies  killed  twenty-five  brace  of  trout,  generally  fi-om 
half  a  pound  to  a  pound  weight,  not  more  than  two  or 
three  exceeding  a  pound.  March-brown,  No.  3 ;  grouse 
hackle.  No.  30 ;  the  alder-fly.  No.  24 ;  the  Llyn  Ogwin 
fly,  No.  34;  and  the  coch-a-bonddu. 

When  the  breeze  is  strong  on  the  water,  I  use  four 
flies  on  my  foot-link ;  but  if  the  curl  on  the  water  be 
slight,  I  only  use  three  flies.  Lord  Valentia,*  a  keen 
and  skilful  fly-fisher,  who  was  staying  at  the  inn,  had 
the  goodness  to  invite  me  to  join  him  in  his  boat  on  the 
lake,  and  we  had  several  days^  pleasant  and  successful 
fishing  together.  His  lordship's  practice  was  to  fish 
with  six  flies  on  his  foot-link ;  and  mine,  with  three  or 
four,  at  most :  and  the  result  was  that  he  killed  more 
in  number,  whilst  mine  were  most  in  weight. 

Lord  Valentia  was  obliged  to  leave  his  sport  in  order 
to  attend  a  grand  jury  in  Ireland,  and  recommended  me 
to  try  Llyn  Ogwin  and  Llyn  IdwelV  two  lakes  about 
six  miles  on  the  road  to  Bangor.  The  nearest  house  of 
entertainment  to  the  former  is  nearly  four  miles  beyond 
the  lake,  on  the  road  to  Bangor,  and  there  I  took  up 
my  quarters  for  some  days.  The  accommodations  were 
of  a  very  humble  description,  but  the  charges  were 
moderate  in  the  extreme,  my  whole  expenses  being 
somewhere  about  two  shillings  per  day. 

*  Now  Earl  of  Mountnorris. 


ANOLEB^S  MANUAL.  401 

There  is  a  boat  on  the  lake,  and  a  man  may  be  hired 
to  manage  it ;  it  is  not  a  large  water,  but  it  abounds 
with  the  finest  flavoured  trout  I  ever  tasted.  The  flesh 
is  as  red  as  salmon  in  high  season,  but  they  are  not 
large,  the  average  weight  being  from  three-quarters  of 
a  pound  to  a  pound  and  a  quarter. 

The  flies  I  used  (and  very  successftdly)  were  the 
Llyn  Ogwin  fly,  No.  34 ;  the  alder-fly.  No.  24,  dressed 
with  the  red  feather  of  a  partridge^s  rump  ;  the  March- 
brown,  No.  3 ;  the  grouse-hackle.  No.  38 ;  and  the 
Dee  flies,  Nos.  32  and  83. 

LLYN  IDWELL 

Is  several  hundred  feet  above  Ogwin  Lake,  being  what 
would,  in  Cumberland,  be  called  a  mountain  tarn.  It 
is  nearly  surrounded  with  almost  perpendicular  rocks 
and  mountains,  and  the  shadows  and  reflexions  give 
the  lake  a  dark,  and  even  awful  character.  The  trout 
are  good,  but  neither  so  large  nor  excellent  as  those  of 
Iilyn  Ogwyn ;  and  I  should  advise  the  use  of  smaller 
flies  than  those  above  mentioned  for  that  lake. 

I  must  not  quit  this  country  (the  Angler's  Paradise) 
without  recommending  the  fly-fisher  in  Wales  to  take 
up  his  abode  for  a  time  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Tal-y- 
lilyn,  near  Dolgelly,  in  Merionethshire,  situated  at  the 
head  of  a  beautiful  lake  called  Llyn  Mwyngil.  It  is 
about  three  miles  in  circumference,  and  the  accom- 

D  D 


402  THE  BRITISH 

panying  scenery  is  of  the  most  striking  and  romantic 
character.  The  flies  used  may  be  the  dotteril-hacMe^ 
No.  39;  the  alder-fly.  No.  24;  the  coch-a-bonddu. 
No.  35 ;  Edmondson^s  Welsh  fly.  No.  12,  dressed  on 
No.  9  hooks. 

At  Festiniog  the  angler  will  find  excellent  quarters 
at  Martha  Owen's,  and  great  courtesy  and  attention^ 
with  the  most  reasonable  charges.  Within  a  circle  of 
three  miles  there  are  no  less  than  six  lakes,  among 
which  may  be  named  Llyn-y-Mowynion  and  Llyn-y- 
Gamalt,  as  two  of  the  best  trout  lakes  in  North  Wales. 
The  river  from  Festiniog  to  the  sea  abounds  with 
salmon  and  trout.  I  must  now  take  leave  of  Wales, 
again  referring  my  readers  for  a  fuller  account  of  its 
lakes  and  rivers  to  the  work  I  have  already  mentioned. 


SCOTLAND. 

Twenty-two  years  since,  in  company  with  three 
amateur  artists,  I  made  a  tour  of  t^e  western  High- 
lands of  Scotland :  we  visited  Lochs  Achray,  Arklet, 
Cateran,  or  Katrine,  Dochart,  Earn,  Eam-head,  Fine, 
Lomond,  Long,  Lubnaig,  Tay,  Vennachar,  and  Loch 
Ard. 

I  found  the  best  trout-fishing  in  the  Lochs  Arklet, 


angler's  manual.  403 

Achray,  Katrine,  Dochart,  and  Loch  Ard ;  and  at  the 
head  of  Loch  Lomond,  in  Glen  Falloch,  the  pike- 
fishing  was  superior  to  any  thing  I  had  previously 
met  with  in  England.  Loch  Arklet  is  a  small  lake 
situate  in  Glen  Arklet,  in  the  pass  hetween  Inversnaid, 
or  Loch  Lomond,  and  Loch  Katrine.  It  is  well  stored 
with  trout,  but  is,  unfortunately,  at  a  considerable 
distance  from  any  house  of  entertainment. 

LOCH  ACHRAY 

Is  a  small  lake  near  the  Trossachs  and  Loch  Katrine, 
immortahsed  by  the  great  Magician  of  the  North.  The 
wild  and  rugged  Benvenue  and  the  Trossachs  are  seen 
to  great  advantage  from  the  lake.  It  is  a  short  distance 
from  Ardchinachrochan,  where  Jamie  Stuart  accommo- 
dated the  traveller  with  great  hospitality  in  his  cottage, 
which  has  since  that  time  been  converted  into  a  com- 
fortable inn. 

LOCH  KATRINE, 

Rendered  so  great  an  object  of  interest  by  the 
''  Lady  of  the  Lake,^^  is  about  two  miles  from  the  inn 
at  Ardchinachrochan,  through  the  wild  pass  of  the 
Trossachs.  This  beautiful  lake  has  been  so  often  de- 
scribed, that  I  shall  speak  only  of  its  fish.  During  this 
my  first  visit  I  had  most  excellent  sport,  kilhng  iBrom 
thirty  to  forty  brace  of  trout  per  day;    and  on  one 


404  THE  BRITISH 

occasion^  when  the  breeze  lessened^  and  the  sun  shone 
ont  brightly^  and  my  sport  ceased,  I  requested  my  man 
Arehy  to  row  me  across  the  lake  to  Sir  Walter  Scott's 
'^  den  of  the  ghost ;"  I  phiced  my  rod  at  the  stem  of 
the  boat,  trailing  a  line  of  about  thirty  yards,  and  when 
we  reached  the  middle  of  the  loch,  a  smart  breeze 
springing  up,  and  a  doud  passing  over  the  sun  at  the 
same  time,  I  perceived  a  tug  at  my  line.  I  immediately 
ordered  the  man  to  rest  on  his  oars,  and,  taking  my 
rod  and  shortening  the  line,  in  three  successive  casts  I 
caught  six  trout.  I  am  sorry  to  be  obliged  to  give  a 
very  different  account  of  the  present  state  of  trout- 
fishing  in  Loch  Katrine.  On  my  last  visit  to  this 
charming  lake,  in  1835,  I  found  the  pike  had  so 
greatly  increased,  that  the  trout  were  nearly  destroyed. 
The  flies  I  used  were  the  March-brown,  No.  3 ;  the 
grouse-hackle.  No.  38;  the  dotteril-hackle.  No.  39; 
the  alder-fly.  No.  24;  and  the  stone-fly,  No.  23. 

LOCH  DOCHABT 

Is  about  eight  miles  above  the  head  of  Loch  Lomond, 
at  the  head  of  Glen  Falloch.  The  scenery  is  very  fine, 
and  the  fishing  capital ;  I  had  also  excellent  sport  in  a 
small  shallow  loch,  near  to  Killin.  I  caught  a  number 
of  fine  trout  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  without  the 
slightest  breeze  on  the  water,  and  used  the  same  flies  I 
did  at  Loch  Katrine. 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  405 


LOCH  ABD 


Is  a  short  distance  from  Aberfoyle ;  the  scenery  here  is 
grand,  the  western  end  of  the  lake  being  bounded  by 
the  lofty  Ben  Lomond,  and  the  shores  are  beautifully 
wooded.  The  trout-fishing  I  found  excellent,  using  the 
flies  as  above.  The  romantic  village  of  Killin,  at  the 
head  of  Loch  Tay,  furnishes  an  infinite  variety  of  fine 
subjects  for  the  pencil;  its  picturesque  watermills,  old 
bridges,  and  cottages,  the  burial-place  of  the  Mac  Nabs, 
and  the  towering  Ben  Lawes,  in  the  vicinity,  all  give 
interest  to  the  scene ;  and  although  the  lake  will  not 
aflford  much  sport,  the  rapid  Dochart  and  the  Lochy 
contain  abundance  of  small  trout  and  brandlings.  And 
I  may  here  remark,  that  the  feeders  and  outlets  of  all 
these  lochs  are  well  suppUed  with  trout,  and  most  of 
them  with  brandling. 


406  THE  BRITISH 


AN  EXCURSION 


FAOM  LONDON  TO  LOCH  AWE^  LOCH  ECK^  LOCH  LONG^ 
LOCH  FINE,  AND  LOCH  OOIL. 


At  the  period  of  my  first  visit  to  the  Highlands  of 
Scotland,  in  1813,  soon  after  the  appearance  of  Sir 
Walter  Scott^s  ^'  Lady  of  the  Lake,^'  the  romantic 
scenery  of  the  Trossaehs  and  Loch  Katrine  was  be- 
ginning to  arrest  the  attention  of  the  English  tourist, 
and  every  successive  work  from  this  Magician  of  the 
North  increased  the  popularity  of  a  Highland  tour. 
Jamie  Stuart^s  httle  farm-house  at  Ardchinachrochan, 
the  only  place  near  Loch  Katrine  where  food  and 
shelter  could  be  procured,  was  soon  metamorphosed 
into  a  considerable  inn,  to  accommodate  the  increasing 
influx  of  strangers ;  but  it  was  not  till  the  steam  navi- 
gation on  the  Clyde  so  greatly  increased  the  facilities  of 
travelling,  that  the  more  distant  parts  of  the  western 
Highlands  received  such  a  vast  accession  of  visitors  as 
are  now  to  be  found. 

During  my  many  summer  tours  in  Cumberland  and 
Westmoreland,  1  frequently  met  with  brothers  of  the 
angle,  on  Ulswater,  who  spoke  enthusiastically  of  the 
fishing  at  Loch  Awe,  the  river  Awe,  and  Glen  Orchy, 
and  of  the  sublime  scenery  in  their  vicinity.  As  the 
information   came  from  men  whose   skill  1  had  wit- 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  407 

nessed^  and  who  had  travelled  several  successive  years 
from  Manchester  to  Loch  Awe,  for  the  sole  purpose  of 
fishing  for  salmon  and  trout,  I  could  not  doubt  their 
assertions,  and  became  exceedingly  anxious  to  try  my 
hand  on  the  waters  of  this  (now  celebrated)  station  for 
anglers. 

On  the  28th  July,  1834,  I  embarked  on  board  the 
Monarchy  at  Blackwall,  for  Edinburgh.  This  fine 
steam-boat  was  then  the  largest  and  most  commodious 
that  had  yet  been  built  in  this,  or,  perhaps,  any  other 
country;  and  everything  about  it  was  admirably  con- 
ducted, under  the  command  of  Captain  Bain,  an  ex- 
perienced officer,  formerly  a  master  and  commander  in 
the  king's  service.  We  sailed  at  two  o'clock  a.m. 
down  the  well-known  course  of  the  Thames ;  and  when 
I  turned  out  on  deck,  at  six  in  the  morning,  I  found 
myself  off  the  Essex  coast ;  and  as  we  were  very  near 
the  shore,  and  the  day  was  clear  and  fresh,  we  had  suc- 
cessive views  of  Harwich,  various  Martello  towers,  Or- 
fordness  lighthouse  and  castle;  No.  1,  Schedule  A, 
i.e.  Aldborough;  Dunwich,  Southwold,  and  Soleby 
bays,  on  the  coast  of  Suffolk;  Lowestoff,  with  its 
lighthouse, —  a  picturesque  object;  and  Yarmouth 
Roads, — the  dread  of  mariners,  from  the  numerous 
sand-banks,  shoals,  and  rapid  tides. 

A  few  miles  further,  and  we  passed  Cromer,  in  Nor- 
folk, the  Wash,  and  the  Humber ;  we  then  stood  out 
for  sea,  and  lost  sight  of  land  till  the  next  morning. 


408  THE  BRITISH 

when^  at  five  o^clock^  I  found  myself  off  Scarborough, 
and  its  bold,  commanding  old  castle,  and  iron-bound 
coast.  Ten  miles  further  is  Robin  Hood's  Bay,  and 
next  Whitby  and  its  ancient  abbey ;  then  followed,  in 
full  view  from  our  crowded  deck,  Hartlepool,  Sun- 
derland, and  South  and  North  Shields,  Tynemouth 
with  its  abbey  and  lighthouse ;  beyond  these  are 
Blythe,  with  the  remains  of  a  castle;  and  fifteen  miles 
further  is  Coquet  Island,  opposite  to  which,  on  the 
mainland,  appear  the  ancient  ruins  of  the  castle  and 
hermitage  of  Warkworth.  At  a  short  distance  stands 
the  town  of  Alnwick,  and  the  princely  castle  of  the 
Duke  of  Northumberland.  We  then  passed  the  Fern 
Islands,  sailing  close  to  them,  and  perceiving  the  innu- 
merable wild  fowl  that  people  their  shores.  Opposite 
to  these,  on  the  mainland,  stands  Bamborough 
Castle,  the  remains  of  an  important  fortress,  of  a  very 
early  date.  Seven  miles  further.  Holy  Island  claimed 
a  sigh  for  the  betrayed  mm,  the  sweetest  of  all  Sir 
Walter's  creations ;  or,  perchance,  a  curse 

**  for  him,  the  deoeiyer. 
Who  could  win  ladye's  love, 
Ruin,  and  leave  her." 

Still,  on  we  went,  "  splash,  splash  /*  passed  the  mouth 
of  the  Tweed,  St.  AbVs  Head — a  bold  promontory  in 
Berwickshire;  then  Dunbar,  and  its  old  castle:  the 
evening  was  fine,  and  we  were  all  delighted  with  the 
enchanting  scenery  of  the  Frith  of  Forth.     Now,  full 


angler's  manual.  409 

in  view,  illuminated  by  a  declining  sun  of  surpassing 
splendour,  stood  the  Bass,  a  bold,  isolated  rock  in  the 
sea,  covered  with  solan  geese  and  other  water-fowl ;  and 
on  the  opposite  coast  the  picturesque  and  extensive 
remains  of  Tantallon  Castle,  situated  on  a  rocky  emi- 
nence, backed  by  a  fine  conical  hill,  nine  hundred  feet 
high ;  and  beyond  these  several  rocky  islands  and 
various  villages,  giving  a  charming  variety  to  this  un- 
rivalled view. 

The  evening  was  delightful,  but  not  sufficiently  clear 
for  us  to  discern  the  distant  Highlands.  On  the  right 
was  seen  Inch  Keith ;  on  the  left,  Arthur's  Seat,  and 
Salisbury  Crags,  backed  by  the  Christorphine  Hills, 
which  spring  abruptly  from  the  fertile  plain  at  their 
feet ;  and  beneath  them  appeared  the  Calton  Hill,  the 
castle,  and  castle  rock  of  Edinburgh, — the  Old  and  New 
Town  stretching  away  in  vast  perspective  above  the 
ports  of  Leith  and  Newhaven, — presenting  a  coup  d^ceil 
of  unequalled  grandeur. 

We  landed  at  Newhaven  at  eight  o^clock,  amidst  a 
bustle  and  confusion  far  exceeding  a  landing  at  Calais 
pier,  which  those  who  have  tried  it  will  scarcely  think 
possible.  What  with  coaches,  omnibuses,  hackneys, 
and  chariots ;  waiters,  porters,  and  sailors,  all  assailing 
you  together,  and  each  seizing,  if  possible,  some  se- 
parate portion  of  your  luggage,  they  render  ^^  confusion 
worse  confounded,^'  and  require  no  small  nerve  to  stand 
up  against  it.     All  this  might  be  avoided  by  the  con- 


110  THE  BRITISH 

ftmcdoo  of  a  pier,  where  steun-vesaek,  of  a  large  class^ 
mifijit  land  goods  and  paasengen. 

From  NewfaaTcn  to  Edinboigfa,  by  eoaeh,  two  miles, 
for  a  shflling.  I  toA  ap  my  quarters  at  the  Bkck 
Bull,  which  win  be  found  a  eentral  sitaation,  and  a 
oomf<vtabk  house ;  bat,  indeed,  the  inns  and  hotels  in 
Edinboigfa  are  abnost  aU  good,  and  reasonable  in  their 
chaiges.  Haring risited  the  ''  modem  Athens''  before, 
I  remained  there  only  one  day,  being  aiudoiis  to  reach 
Loch  Awe.  I  shall,  therefore,  not  attempt  any  de- 
scription of  this  onrivalled  city,  which,  for  its  extent, 
must  certainly  be  considned  the  finest  in  the  world.  I 
only  found  time  to  see  the  Botanic  Gardens,  and  was 
surprised  to  find  them  superior  in  extent  and  arrange- 
ment to  any  I  had  hitherto  seen,  not  excepting  the 
Royal  Gardens  at  Kew.*  They  contain  a  theatre^ 
which  is  attended  by  a  very  large  class  of  botanical 
students,  and  the  whole  establishment  is  under  the 
management  of  a  professor  of  botany,  and  Mr.  M^Nab, 
whose  activity  and  zeal  have  given  these  gardens  their 
acknowledged  pre-eminence.  Unfortunately,  "  Chris- 
topher North''  had  left  Edinburgh  in  his  shooting- 
jacket,  or  I  might  have  been  lucky  enough  to  have  been 
introduced  to  that  prince  of  fly-fishers. 

July  2. — ^Left  Edinburgh,  by  coach,  for  Glasgow; 


*  The  Kew  Gardens  have  lately  been  much  extended  and  im- 
proved.— Ed. 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  411 

and  1  must  here  recommend  the  tourist  not  to  go  by 
canal^  which  I  was  nearly  tempted  to  do,  in  order  to 
enjoy  the  scenery  on  its  banks ;  but  have  been  since 
informed  that  the  passage  is  extremely  uncomfortable, 
from  the  confined  form  of  the  boats,  &c. 

The  first  fifteen  miles  from  Edinburgh  is  through  a 
rich  and  finely  cultivated  country ;  but  from  thence  to 
Glasgow  (in  all  forty-two  miles)  is  sterile  and  uninte- 
resting.  I  arrived  at  the  latter  city  at  three  o^clock, 
after  an  absence  of  twenty  years,  and  found  it  as  much 
increased  in  size,  and  improved  in  appearance,  as  I  had 
already  found  Edinburgh.  There  are  three  new  bridges 
over  the  Clyde,  built  within  that  time,  and  a  noble  one 
in  the  course  of  erection  near  the  Broomielaw,  the  arches 
of  which  are  of  a  larger  span  than  those  of  Waterloo 
Bridge  on  the  Thames.  As  I  have  before  said,  my 
object  is  not  to  describe  cities ;  but  I  cannot  forbear  to 
remark  how  much  I  was  struck  by  the  beauty  and  re- 
gularity of  the  houses  in  the  New  Town ;  the  length, 
breadth,  cleanliness,  and  elegance  of  the  streets ;  and 
by  the  architectural  splendour  of  the  Exchange,  one  of 
the  most  graceful  and  superb  buildings  in  Europe,  and 
in  which  strangers  are,  with  great  liberality,  admitted  to 
read  the  public  papers,  for  one  month,  without  intro- 
duction or  subscription. 

July  3. — Sailed  from  the  Broomielaw,  on  board  the 
St.  Catherine  steam-boat,  at  seven  o^clock,  a.m.  The 
quay  was   crowded   with   steam -boats    for   Liverpool, 


412  THE  BRITISH 

Belfast^  and  various  ports  of  the  Clyde  and  the  Western 
Islands^  in  number  upwards  of  twenty.  The  river  at 
Glasgow  is  narrow,  and  of  no  great  depths  so  that 
ships  of  heavy  burden  cannot  come  further  up  the 
Clyde  than  Greenock  and  Port  Glasgow ;  but  great  ex- 
ertions are  making  by  the  corporation  to  improve  the 
navigation  of  the  river.  After  passing  Kelvin  Water 
the  stream  expands  and  the  scenery  improves^  and 
many  villas  appear  on  each  side  of  the  river.  The  first 
town  of  any  consequence  is  the  ancient  burgh  of 
Renfrew,  which  gives  its  name  to  the  county ;  a  few 
miles  further  bring  you  opposite  to  Paisley,  and 
Gleniffer  hills.  Here  the  river  again  expands,  and  the 
hills  of  Dumbartonshire  appear  on  both  shores,  finely 
wooded,  and  falling  in  gentle  undulations  to  the  margin 
of  this  beautiful  river. 

Further  on,  to  the  right,  is  Dalnotter  Hill;  and 
beyond  this,  the  village  and  church  of  Kilpatrick,  said 
to  be  the  birthplace  of  the  titular  saint  of  Ireland. 
Here  the  voyager  is  suddenly  struck  by  one  of  the 
finest  scenes  in  Great  Britain.  Before  him  spreads  the 
expansive  Clyde,  bounded  on  the  right  by  finely 
wooded  hills,  and  on  the  left  by  the  cultivated  slopes  of 
Renfrewshire;  whilst  immediately  in  front,  stretching 
into  the  river,  are  the  castles  of  Dimglass  and  Dum- 
barton, backed  by  the  towering  mountains  of  Argyle- 
shire. 

Dumbarton  rock  and  castle  now  become  the  prin- 


angler's  manual.  418 

cipal  objects  before  you;  and  beyond  the  castle^  on  the 
right,  is  the  town  of  Dumbarton,  at  the  confluence  of 
the  water  of  Leven  with  the  Clyde.  Further  to  the 
left  are  seen  the  towns  and  shipping  of  Port  Glasgow 
and  Greenock,  and  near  the  former  the  ruins  of  Newark 
Castle,  now  the  property  of  Lord  Belhaven.  Beyond 
this  port,  to  the  north,  is  Helensburgh,  a  favourite 
summer  resort  for  the  families  of  the  Glasgow 
merchants. 

We  next  approach  Greenock,  a  very  considerable 
sea-port,  with  fine  quays  and  docks,  and  a  handsome 
custom-house,  said  to  have  cost  120,000/.  Beyond 
Greenock  there  are  many  pretty  villas ;  and  two  miles 
from  thence  is  the  neat  little  village  of  Gourock,  an- 
other watering-place  much  resorted  to  from  Glasgow. 

From  this  time  we  began  to  approach  the  entrance 
to  Loch  Lopg,  and  to  have  a  fine  view  of  the  point  of 
Roseneath,  the  hills  of  Dumbartonshire,  and  the 
entrance  to  Loch  Long.  On  the  left  are  the  Islands  of 
Bute,  Arran,  and  Cambray,  and  the  Craig  of  Ailsa ; 
and  in  front,  the  blue  mountains,  coasts,  and  woods  of 
Argyleshire :  we  soon  entered  the  mouth  of  Loch  Long ; 
on  both  shores  the  moimtains  are  precipitous,  serrated, 
and  lofty,  varying  in  their  appearance  with  the  continual 
windings  of  the  loch,  and  constantly  offering  new  and 
grand  combinations  of  form  and  picturesque  effect  to 
the  deUghted  spectator.      After  passing  up  the  loch 


414  THE  BRITISH 

sometime^  on  the  left  is  seen  the  entrance  to  Loch  Groil^ 
and  on  the  right  a  continuation  of  Loch  Long^  leading 
to  the  inn^  at  Arrachor^  at  its  head. 

We  proceeded  through  Loch  Goil  amidst  bold, 
mountainous  scenery,  to  St.  Catherine's,  a  small  village 
at  its  head.  I  had  been  fortunate  enough  to  recognise 
in  the  steam-boat  a  friend  I  had  not  met  for  many 
years,  and  who  now  shared  with  me  the  vehicle  intended 
for  our  conveyance;  and  such  a  coach,  such  harness, 
such  horses,  and  such  a  driver,  it  is  certain  neither  of 
us  ever  had  seen  before,  or  ever  will  forget.  The  road 
is  equally  without  parallel,  and  is,  par  excellence y  called 
Hell  Glen ;  it  is  truly  the  most  wild,  desolate,  and 
awful  mountain  pass,  I  have  ever  seen.  Notwith- 
standing hills  that  would  alarm  a  Derbyshire  or  Cum- 
berland coachman,  at  the  bottom  of  many  of  which  we 
had  to  make  a  sudden  turn  at  a  right  angle,  and  not 
seldom  over  a  low  parapeted,  narrow  bridge,  at  full 
speed,  we  arrived  at  St.  Catherine's  in  safety,  by  the  skill 
and  good  fortune  of  our  bold  but  eccentric  coachman. 
He  managed  his  strange  team  with  admirable  dexterity, 
encouraging  them  with  a  singular  mixture  of  Gaelic  and 
Scotch-English,  whilst  we  assisted  his  eflForts  by  walking 
up  the  almost  perpendicular  hills,  which  gave  us  an  op- 
portunity of  admiring  the  sublime  scenery  of  this 
savage  glen  in  all  its  recesses. 

The  descent  to  St.  Catherine's  gave  us  an  extensive 


ANGLERS  MANUAL. 


view  of  Loch  Fine,  a  salt-water  lake,  or  arm  of  the  sea, 
upwards  of  forty  miles  in  IcDgth,  and  famous  for  its 
salmoD  and  herring-fishing. 


From  St.  Catherine's,  over  the  ferry,  to  Inverary,  is 
four  miles ;  and  there  we  landed  at  two  p.m.,  when  a 
waiter  presented  us  with  a  card  of  Mr.  Walker's  hotel, 
to  which  myself  and  friend  consented  to  go,  and  we 
therefore  committed  our  luggage  to  his  care.  We 
found  our  inn  clean  and  comfortable,  with  active  at- 
tentive waiters,  good  beds,  and  reasonable  charges. 
That  my  brothers  of  the  angle,  who,  like  myself, 
wish  to  travel  economically,  may  judge,  I  subjoin 
my  expenses  from  Glasgow,  and  Mr.  Walker's 
charges : — 


416  THE  BRITISH 

«.  d. 
Steam-boat  and  coach  to  Inveniry,  a  distance  of  76^  miles  5  6 
Breakfast  of  tea,  coffee,  eggs,  and  broiled  fish     ....     1     9 

Dinner       .    • 2    6 

Tea 16 

Bed 2    0* 

There  is  a  mucli  larger  inn,  or  hotel,  at  Inverary; 
but  a  plain  angler  seeks  for  comfort  rather  than  style. 

The  herrings  here  are  considered  a  great  dainty,  and 
are  thought  to  be  the  best  that  are  caught  on  the 
British  coasts ;  they  are,  indeed,  a  luxury,  when  newly 
taken  out  of  the  nets,  and  broiled  for  breakfast. 

The  Duke  of  Argyle  has  a  magnificent  castle  here, 
and  finely  wooded  pleasure-grounds,  watered  by  the 
Aray,  which  falls  into  the  loch  under  a  fine  bridge  of 
two  arches,  behind  which  is  seen  the  lofty  and  well- 
wooded  hill  of  Duniquaich. 

The  river  Aray  is  a  beautiful  stream,  abounding 
with  small  falls  and  deep  pools;  and  in  spring,  and  also 
after  the  first  fresh  in  August,  will  afford  excellent  sport 
with  the  fly,  for  bum-trout,  salmon-trout,  and  grilse. 
Here  I  first  wetted  my  line,  but  with  Uttle  success,  the 
water  being  too  low  and  the  evening  very  bright.  I 
caught  ten  brace  of  brandling,  or  salmon  pinks,  but 
only  raised  one  good  trout,  which  I  did  not  kill ;  in 


*  The  angler  must  not  expect  to  find  these  reasonable  charges  in 
the  present  time,  the  numbers  of  travellers  have  greatly  increased. 
—Ed. 


angler's  manual.  417 

showery,  dark  weather,  even  in  July,  I  am  convinced 
good  trouting  may  be  had  in  this  pretty  stream ;  and  a 
tyro  may  at  all  times,  during  the  siunmer  months, 
practise  his  hand  on  the  salmon-pink,  which  are  very 
numerous,  and  will  take  freely  any  small  fly,  such  as  the 
common  house-fly,  the  soldier-palmer,  and  the  midge, 
all  with  No.  10  or  12  hooks.  With  three  or  four  of 
these  small  flies  on  a  fine  gut  bottom,  three  yards  long, 
the  young  angler,  with  very  moderate  skill,  may  kill 
ten  or  twelve  dozen  in  a  day ;  and,  though  small,  they 
are  an  excellent  fish  for  the  table.  I  have,  in  the 
former  part  of  this  work,  given  some  account  of  this 
beautiful  little  variety  of  the  salmo  tribe. 

July  4. — Joined  a  young  Irish  gentleman  in  a  car 

to  Port  Sonnachan  (my  fiiend  having  pursued  his  own 

route  from  Inverary) ;  the  road  first  passed  through  the 

extensive  and  delightful  plantations   of  the  Duke   of 

Argyle,  and  on  our  right  ran  the  sparkling  Aray.    About 

three  miles  up  the  river  there  is  a  small,  but  picturesque, 

waterfall,  with  a  rustic. wooden  bridge  thrown  over  it, 

for  the  convenience  of  travellers  who  may  wish  to  see 

both  sides  of  this  pretty  cascade.     At  twelve  o'clock 

the  heat  was  intense,  and  we  were  glad  to  reach  the 

summit  of  the  lofty  hill,  which  gave  us  the  first  view  of 

our    land,   or  rather,    our   watevj   of  promise.      The 

matchless  Loch  Awe  lay  below  us,  flashing  its  light 

beneath  a  burning  sun,  studded  with  numerous  wooded 

islands,  and  backed  by  the  mighty  Ben-Cru-a-chan,  and 

£  E 


418  THE  BRITISH 

his  attendant  hills.  A  station  towards  the  bottom  of 
the  hill  is  called  Burke's  View,  &om  the  admiration  it 
elicited  from  the  author  of  the  "  Sublime  and  Bean- 
tiftd." 


The  outlet  of  the  Awe  is  seen,  with  the  river  foaming 
throogh  a  narrow  ravine  of  Ben-Cm-a-chan ;  to  the 
right  appear  Ben-Laoidh,  and  6en-a-chleidh,  rearing 
their  beads  to  the  clouds,  with  numerous  connecting 
hills  of  lesser  magnitude,  many  of  them  beautifully 
wooded  to  the  water's  edge,  forming  bold,  rocky,  head- 
lands, promontories,  and  sheltered  hays. 

From  this  point,  near  the  village  of  Cladish,  you 
turn  to  the  left ;  and  three  miles  of  hilly  road,  on  the 
margin  of  the  loch,  bring  you  to  Fort  Sonnachan,  that 
now  celebrated  and  favourite  station  of  the  brothers  of 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  419 

the  angle.  Here  I  found  many  of  my  fellow-passengers 
on  board  the  steamei;,  who  had  arrived  the  day  before 
for  the  purpose  of  salmon-fishing. 

This  port  is  twelve  miles  from  Inverary,  and  is  situ- 
ate a  little  above  the  middle  of  the  loch;  the  inn  is 
small,  but  tolerably  comfortable ;  it  has  a  ferry,  which 
crosses  the  loch  with  passengers  to  Oban,  and  the 
picturesque  ash-trees,  which  overhang  the  landing- 
place,  give  shade  and  beauty  to  the  scene.  Looking 
towards  the  lower  end  of  the  loch,  the  hills  being 
small,  the  general  view  is  tame  and  uninteresting ;  but, 
towards  the  head  of  the  loch,  is  seen  the  perfection 
of  lake  scenery.  In  the  evening  I  met  with  a  young, 
stout  Highland  sportsman,  a  Campbell,  the  son  of  a 
landed  proprietor  and  farmer,  who  gave  me  much 
valuable  information  on  the  subject  of  Loch  Awe 
fishing. 

I  learnt  that,  the  day  before,  twelve  salmon  had 
been  taken  in  the  river  Awe,  by  different  parties  from 
Port  Sonnachan;  two  parties  had  on  the  same  day 
been  trout-fishing  on  the  lake,  with  but  httle  success, 
as  the  sun  was  bright,  with  very  httle  wind ;  and  when 
that  is  the  case,  sport  cannot  be  expected,  for  lake- 
fishing  requires  a  fresh  breeze,  particularly  when  the 
day  is  brilhant. 

Under  these  circumstances,  I  should  recommend 
the  angler  to  troll  for  bull-trout,  a  fish  found  in  this 
loch,  and  in  some   of  the   lakes   of  Cumberland  and 


420  THE  BRITISH 

Westmoreland^  and  which  is  sometimes  caught  as  heavy 
as  forty  pounds  weight.  For  this  purpose^  the  troller 
will  require  a  line^  or  strong  salmon-reel^  one  hundred 
yards  long ;  and  he  must  use  the  snap-tackle  described 
at  page  72,  and  bait  with  a  small  trout^  or  pink^  placed 
on  the  tackle  in  the  manner  there  explained^  so  that  the 
fish  will  spin  well  in  the  water.  The  boatman  will 
guide  you  to  the  deeps^  and,  from  the  stern  of  the  boat, 
you  must  let  out  your  line,  to  the  extent  of  from  forty 
to  fifty  yards,  when  he  will  row  slowly  by  the  side  of 
the  deeps,  the  islands,  &c. ;  and  if  you  hook  a  fish,  it 
is  likely  to  be  a  good  one,  and  afford  excellent  sport; 
the  first  efforts  of  this  fish  being  more  vigorous  than 
even  those  of  the  salmon  or  the  burn-trout ;  and  a  fish 
firom  ten  to  fifteen  pounds  weight  will  give  good  play, 
and  try  your  skill  and  tackle.  For  my  own  part,  I 
prefer  using  the  fly  for  trout,  but  as  this  can  only  be 
practised  with  a  good  breeze,  trolling  for  bull-trout  on 
a  still  day  will  be  a  good  dernier  ressort* 

Soon  after  I  arrived  at  Port  Sonnachan,  one  of  the 
fishing  parties  came  in,  bringing  a  bull-trout,  which  I 
saw ;  it  weighed  seven  pounds,  but  was  by  no  means  a 
handsome  fish,  being  very  black,  with  a  large  head, 
and  the  body  broad,  but  thin :  it  cut  much  redder  than 
salmon — more,  indeed,  like  beef;  and,  when  dressed, 


*  This  is  by  far  the  most  suocessfiil  mode  of  fishing  in  Loch  Awe, 
the  fly  seldom  affording  good  sport. — Ed. 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  421 

we  thought  it  inferior  to  either  salmon  or  bum-trout. 
Very  large  true  trout  are  sometimes  caught  in  Loch 
Awe,  for  I  was  told  that,  in  the  summer  of  1832,  an 
officer  of  the  hussars  took  one  by  trolling,  twenty-six 
pounds  weight  (my  impression  is,  that  it  was  a  bull 
trout).  He  came  from  Glasgow  on  a  pony,  went  on 
the  loch  two  hours  in  the  morning,  caught  his  great 
fish,  had  him  carefully  packed  up,  and  returned  in 
triumph  to  Glasgow. 

After  gaining  what  information  I  could,  my  young 
Irish  companion  and  myself  prepared  for  a  day^s  fishing 
on  Loch  Awe;  a  boat  and  man  were  ordered  to  be 
ready  by  six  the  following  morning,  and  at  five  I  rose, 
and  saw  a  glorious  breeze  curling  the  waters  of  the 
loch.  My  companion  was  equally  on  the  alert ;  but, 
alas!  when  we  reached  the  water-side,  neither  boat 
nor  man  were  visible,  and  we  had,  from  some  kind  of 
negligence  or  other,  to  wait  till  nearly  eight  o'clock 
before  we  were  fairly  afloat. 

As  I  was  totally  unacquainted  with  the  lake,  and 
our  boatman  was  ignorant  of  the  best  parts  for  fishing, 
I  had  to  depend  on  previous  experience  in  this  kind  of 
angling.  I  chose  those  bays  where  the  water  was  not 
so  deep  but  that  the  stony,  or  gravelly  bottom,  might 
be  just  visible  by  leaning  over  the  side  of  the  boat. 
My  next  object  was  to  have  the  boat  so  placed,  that 
the  wind  would  carry  it  across  the  bay  in  a  direction 
parallel  to  the  shore.     I  commenced  with  three  flies : 


422  THE  BRITISH 

the  March-brown,  No.  3,  for  the  stretcher ;  the  dotteril- 
hackle.  No.  39,  for  the  first  drop;  and  the  alder-fly. 
No.  24  (with  the  wings  made  of  the  red  feather  of  the 
partridge's  rump),  for  my  second  drop.  I  soon  raised 
a  fish,  and  killed  him;  and  in  this  bay  I  caught  six 
trout,  five  of  which  were  taken  with  the  alder-fly.  I 
then  changed  my  flies,  by  using  the  alder-fly  as  the 
stretcher,  and  substituting  a  grouse-hackle  for  the 
dotteril-hackle ;  and  with  this  link  I  continued  to  fish 
the  whole  day,  and  pouched  thirty  brace  of  trout  in 
beautiful  condition,  all,  with  the  exception  of  two  or 
three,  being  taken  with  the  alder-fly. 

My  companion  was  delighted  with  the  sport,  and, 
for  a  novice,  was  very  successful ;  we  continued  moving 
onwards  to  the  head  of  the  lake,  enjoying  the  magni- 
ficent scenery,  and,  during  the  heat  of  the  day  at  noon, 
we  landed  on  one  of  the  beautifully  wooded  islands, 
near  the  outlet  of  the  river  Awe,  and  enjoyed  our 
dinner,  bottled  porter,  and  whisky.  We  composed 
our  excited  spirits  with  a  cigar,  and  then  returned  to 
our  sport ;  but  my  young  Irishman,  from  the  heat  of 
the  day  and  exercise,  was  induced  to  make  too  free 
with  Guinnesses  stout.  On  our  return  to  the  inn,  we 
found  several  of  the  fishing-parties  arrived  before  us  : 
one  large  bull-trout  had  been  taken  in  the  loch,  and 
several  salmon  in  the  river  Awe ;  but  the  trout-fishers 
had  entirely  failed,  which  they  attributed  to  an  easterly 
wind ;  but  when  I  exhibited  my  fish,  it  led  to  the  com- 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  423 

parison  of  flies,  and  I  found  that  none  of  them  possessed 
the  one  I  had  found  successful.  A  skilful  hand  soon 
produced  some  imitations,  and  I  was  afterwards  in- 
formed they  were  in  great  favour. 

The  next  day  my  young  companion  was  confined  to 
his  bed  by  fever,  probably  produced  by  the  fatigue  and 
excitement  of  the  previous  day.  I  took  a  boat  and  two 
men  for  the  purpose  of  fishing,  to  the  head  of  the  lake, 
and  proceeded  from  thence  to  Dalmally.  I  embarked 
at  six  o'clock  a.m.,  with  a  favourable  wind  but  a  falling 
barometer,  and  before  ten  o^clock  the  mountains  put 
on  their  caps,  and  gave  notice  of  rain ;  but  the  trout 
had  the  start  of  the  hills,  for  they  told  me,  as  plainly  as 
I  had  often  been  told  before,  that  we  should  have  rain, 
by  not  rising  to  any  fly  1  could  offier  them.  I  only 
killed  eight  brace  during  the  whole  day,  and  these  were 
taken  with  the  same  fly.  No.  24. 

At  two  P.M.  we  landed  on  Heathery  Island,  where 
are  the  ruins  of  a  castle,  which  I  examined  with  diffi- 
culty, for  the  vegetation  was  so  rank  that  I  could 
scarcely  force  my  way  through  the  lofty  weeds  and 
wild  flowers  that  surrounded  the  slight  elevation  on 
which  the  edifice  stood.  The  variety  and  beauty  of  the 
Flora  here  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Dalmally  surpass 
any  thing  I  ever  saw  in  England. 

Here  we  dined,  and,  whilst  thus  agreeably  employed, 
we  discovered  a  young  gull ;  the  Highlanders  immedi- 
ately gave  chase,  and,  as  the  gull  took  the  water  we 


424  THE  BRITISH 

took  our  boat,  and  drove  him  oa  shore,  where  he  was 
soon  captured :  young  aa  he  was,  and  half  fledged,  he 
was  audaciouBly  impudent,  fighting  any  of  na  that 
touched  him,  and  gobbling  down  a  small  trout,  cut  in 
pieces,  with  all  the  apparent  relish  of  a  true  glutton. 
The  boatmen  said  they  would  carry  home  tbeir  prize, 
and  make  it  a  pet  at  Port  Sonnachan,  so  that  some  of 
my  readers  may  hereafter,  perhaps,  become  acquainted 
with  the  gull  captured  on  Heathery  Island. 

We  passed  several  other  wooded  islands  on  our  ap- 
proach to  Glen  Strae,  beyond  which,  at  the  head  of  the 
lake,  stood  the  pictnreaque  ruins  of  Kilchum  Castle, 
formerly  one  of  the  largest  strongholds  of  the   Scottish 


Highlands.     The  annexed  vignette  represents    its  pre- 
sent state. 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  425 

Here  we  landed,  and  a  walk  of  two  miles  brought 
us  to  the  comfortable  inn  at  Dalmally ;  the  village  is 
altogether  the  most  sequestered  and  romantic  of  any 
I  have  hitherto  seen.  The  view  from  the  old  stone 
bridge  over  the  river  Orchy,  is  magnificent;  looking 
westward,  beneath  you  is  seen  the  winding  river,  with 
its  dark  black  salmon-pools,  and  its  sparkling  streams, 
and  shining,  gravelly  shoals,  everywhere  skirted  by 
alder,  ash,  willow,  birch,  and  pine  trees,  with  rich 
meadows  sloping  to  the  water^s  edge,  and  every  bank 
and  brae  covered  with  innumerable  wild  flowers;  the 
rose,  the  honeysuckle,  the  foxglove,  the  campanula, 
heaths,  and  orchises  of  various  colours,  and  many 
others  unknown  to  me>  but  which  would  delight  the 
botanist ;  the  view  is  terminated  by  the  mighty  Ben- 
Cru-a-chan  and  the  adjacent  mountains. 

I  fished  the  river,  but  it  was  so  low  and  clear  that 
I  could  only  take  brandlings  during  the  day ;  though 
the  rain  had  fallen  many  hours,  it  was  not  sufficient  to 
colour  the  water  :  but,  occasionally,  salmon  and  salmon- 
trout-fishing  is  very  good  in  the  Orchy.  I  returned  to 
Port  Sonnachan  by  land,  the  distance  twelve  miles,  and 
on  my  arrival  had  the  pain  of  finding  my  Irish  gentle- 
man still  confined  to  his  bed,  and  with  a  dangerous 
fever.  I  remained  here  some  days,  fishing  every  day 
with  various  success,  and,  on  many  occasions,  killing 
two  trout  with  one  cast  of  my  flies.  Those  which  I 
found  most  successful,  next  to  the  alder-fly,  were  the 


426  THE  BRITISH 

Loch  Awe  flies,  Nos.  31  and  32,  and  a  palmer  with  a 
coppery  herl  hody  and  purple  hackle. 

I  left  my  pleasant  quarters  and  still  suffering  friend 
with  regret,  and  retraced  my  steps  to  Inverary,  where 
I  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  Mr.  Carmichael,  my  late 
landlord,  the  day  following,  who  informed  me  that  the 
Irish  gentleman  was  decidedly  better.  I  returned  to 
Glasgow  by  way  of  Loch  Eck  and  Kilmun,  but  as  I 
have  already  alluded  to  this  part  of  my  tour,  I  shall 
pass  on  to  that  city,  where  I  had  the  pleasure  of  meet- 
ing a  friend  from  London,  and  we  entered  a  steam-boat 
for  Dumbarton,  for  the  purpose  of  visiting  Lochs  Lo- 
mond and  Katrine. 

Our  expedition  was  delightful,  but  the  fishing  very 
indifferent.  On  my  return  from  Loch  Katrine  I  visited 
Glen  Falloch,  at  the  head  of  Loch  Lomond,  but  was 
disappointed  in  the  pike-fishing  I  had  expected,  as 
the  water  was  too  low.  In  the  months  of  Sep- 
tember and  October,  a  single  party  will  sometimes  take 
two  hundred  weight  of  pike  in  one  day^s  fishing  at 
this  place. 

The  inn  nearest  to  the  loch  is  at  the  lower  end 
of  Glen  Falloch;  it  is  unpretending,  and  so  are  the 
charges  :  the  following  is  a  copy  of  my  bill  for  dinner, 
tea,  breakfast,  lodgings,  and  whisky  :  — 

s.     d. 

Eating 3     6 

Toddy 10 

Lodging 10 


ANGLER^S  MANUAL.  427 

The  stream  that  runs  through  Glen  Falloch  abounds 
with  small  trout,  and,  near  its  junction  with  Loch  Lo- 
mond, with  fine  perch  and  pike. 

I  must  now  bid  adieu  to  the  Land  of  the  Mist ;  but 
I  can  assure  my  brother  anglers  and  artists,  that  every 
loch  and  river  of  the  Highlands  of  Scotland  will  afford 
employment  for  the  fly  and  the  pencil. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  principal  rivers  and 
lakes  of  Scotland  :  — 

• 

ABERDEENSHIRE. 

The  Dee,  the  Don,  the  Urie,  the  Yethan,  and  the 
Deveron. 

AYRESHIRE. 

■ 

The  Ayr,  the  Lugar,  the  Doon,  the  Girvan,  the 
Stincher,  the  Dusk,  the  Glemap,  and  the  Irvine. 

AROYLESHIRE. 

The  Orchy  or  Urchy,  the  Awe,  the  Wrotry,  the 
Aray. 

BANFFSHIRE. 

The  Spey,  the  Aven,  and  the  Deveron. 

BERWICKSHIRE. 

The  Black-adder,  the  White-adder,  the  Tweed,  the 
Eye,  and  the  Lauder. 


428  THE  BRITISH 


CAITHNESS. 


DUMBAKTONSHIBE. 


The  Clyde,  the  Aven,  the  Giel,  the  Leven,  and  the 
Tendrick. 


DUMIPBIES. 


The  Nith,  the  Lugar,  the  Cairn,  the  Annan^  the 
Esk,  the  Ewes,  the  Liddel,  and  the  Sarke. 

MID  LOTHIAN. 

The  water  of  Leith,  the  ALnond,  the  Forth,  and 
the  Esk. 

ELGINSHIRE. 

The  Spey,  the  Findhom,  and  the  Lossie. 

FIFESHIBE. 

The  Leven,  the  Eden,  the  Orr,  and  the  Lochty. 


FORFABSHIBE,  OB  ANGUS. 

The  North  and  the  South  Esk,  and  the  Tay. 


The  Thurso,  the  Wick,  the  Kice,  and  the  Berrin- 
dale.     The  Thurso  is  noted  for  a  draught  of  fish^  July 
23  (O.  S.),  1 743-4,  when,  at  one  haul,  there  were  caught      ' 
two  thousand  five  hundred  and  sixty  salmon. 


J 


angler's  manual.  429 


HADDINGTONSHIRE. 

The  Tyne  and  the  Yester. 

INVERNESS. 

The  Ness,  the  Oich,  the  Fyers,  the  Dundreggan, 
and  the  Clonnie. 

KING  ARDINESH  IRE. 

The  Bervie,  the  Dee,  and  the  North  Esk. 

KIRKCUDBRIGHT. 

The  Nith,  the  Dee,  the  Orr,  the  Deugh,  the  Fleet, 
and  the  Ken. 

LANARKSHIRE. 

The  Clyde,  the  Annan,  the  Tweed,  the  Nethan,  and 
the  Avon. 

NAIRNSHIRE. 

The  Naime,  the  Findhom,  and  the  Calder. 

PEEBLES-SHIRE. 

The  Tweed  and  the  Lyne. 

PERTHSHIRE. 

The  Tay,  the  Lochy,  the  Lyon,  the  Tumel,  the 
Garry,  the  Amon,  and  the  Earn. 


JWm  BRITISH 


LodiEfl 
End 

£tiw 

Feodum 


6i^ 


-  liiinhe 

-  Lochy 
Lomoiid 


Lows 

Labnaig 
MeiUy 


Loch  Melfort 

na  Garr 

na  Keal 

of  Cluny 

Ness 

Oich 

Rannoch 

Bansa 

Ridon 

Skene 

Slapin 

Straven 

Tay 

Tommel 

Vennachar 

VoiL 


angler's  manual. 


AN  EXCURSION  TO  IRELAND. 

In  the  month  of  July,  1836, 1  embarked  at  Liver- 
pool, in  a  goyemment  packet,  for  Ireland,  for  the  par- 
pose  of  visiting  the  far-famed  lakes  of  Killamey.     I  was 


in  company  with  three  iriends,  one  of  whom  was  well 
acquainted  with  the  country  we  were  about  to  explore. 
I  was  delighted  with  the  bay  of  Dublin,  the  broad 
streets,  and  architectural  beauties  of  that  fine  city,  bat 
was  under  the  necessity  of  pressing  forward  to  my 
object. 

The  first  portion  of  our  journey  was  to  Limerick, 
where  I  failed  not  to  visit  the  successor  of  O'Shaugh- 
nessy ;  we  then  strolled  on  the  banks  of  the  Shannon, 


434  THE  BRITISH 

and  were  struck  with  the  castle^  the  cathedral^  and  the 
general  character  of  antiquity  the  city  presented.  From 
thence  we  proceeded  to  Killamey;  but,  as  I  have 
akeady  spoken  of  that  delightful  station  in  the  chapter 
on  Salmon-fishing,  I  must  return  to  Dublin,  and  give  a 
short  account  of  a  fishing  excursion  in  the  county  of 
Wicklow. 

On  our  return  to  the  metropolis,  the  first  visit  was 
to  Martin  Kelly^s  fishing-tackle  shop  in  Sackville  Street, 
where  my  friends  furnished  themselves  with  tackle  for 
their  first  essay  in  the  art  of  fly-fishing ;  we  then  hired 
a  jaunting  car,  and  at  seven  o'clock  a.m.  the  next  day 
left  DubUn,  on  a  beautiful  morning,  with  an  intention 
of  breakfasting  at  Enniskerry. 

A  few  miles  brought  us  to  a  wild-looking  pass, 
called  the  Scalp;  on  either  side  the  road,  for  about 
half  a  mile,  rise  lofty,  precipitous  rocks,  immense  fallen 
fragments  of  which  are  spread  to  right  and  left,  and 
the  end  of  the  pass  is  closed  by  a  lofty  conical  hill, 
called  the  Sugarloaf.  Two  miles  further  brought  us  in 
sight  of  the  beautiful  village  of  Enniskerry.  The  view 
from  the  hill  we  were  about  to  descend  was  every  thing 
an  artist  could  desire ;  immediately  below  the  eye  was 
a  deep  ravine,  through  which  a  small  stream  wound  its 
way  towards  a  picturesque  old  bridge,  beyond  which 
were  seen  the  white  houses  of  the  village  on  the  hill  side, 
peeping  out  amidst  the  deep  foliage  of  the  sycamore, 
^nd  the  whole  terminated  by  the  Sugarloaf  Mountain. 


AN6L£R^S  MANUAL.  435 

On  entering  Enniskerry  we  saw  two  inns  near  each 
other,  and  of  apparently  equal  pretensions ;  we  there- 
fore suffered  our  driver  to  make  his  choice,  and  found 
every  thing  dirty,  uncomfortable,  and  ill -arranged. 
From  this  place  we  visited  Powerscourt ;  the  house  is 
large,  and  consists  of  a  centre  and  two  wings,  the  de- 
mesne is  finely  wooded,  but  the  great  attraction  of  the 
place  is  its  grand  waterfall:  the  rock  is  nearly  three 
hundred  feet  high,  and  almost  perpendicular,  over 
which  the  river  falls,  but  the  body  of  water  is  scanty  in 
dry  seasons. 

In  summer  time  the  foot  of  this  cascade  is  a  favourite 
spot  for  Dublin  parties  to  take  their  picnic  dinners  in, 
and  on  this  day  such  parties  were  numerous,  and  the  . 
scene  was  one  of  great  gaiety  as  well  as  beauty.  A 
drive  of  six  miles  brought  us  to  Roundwood,  where 
we  found  very  comfortable  quarters,  and  real  small 
still  whisky.  Early  the  next  morning  we  drove  to 
Luggela,  over  three  miles  of  very  dreary  road;  after 
which,  reaching  the  summit  of  a  hill,  we  began  to 
descend  a  steep  road,  richly  skirted  with  wood,  its 
winding  course  presenting  gleams  of  the  lake  and  the 
distant  mountains.  To  the  left,  a  stream,  issuing  from 
Luggela,  or  Lough-tay,  meanders  through  a  valley,  till 
it  falls  into  another  lough,  the  head  of  which  is  seen. 

There  is  a  house,  or  lodge,  at  Luggela,  belonging 
to  Mr.  La  Touche ;  and  his  woodsman,  Charley  Carr, 


486  THE  BRITISH 

is  permitted  to  attend  fishing  parties  with  a  boat.  The 
appearance  of  this  same  gentle  Charley  is  singular,  as 
he  is  very  tall,  thin,  and  pale,  and  wears  a  very  long 
beard.  He  was  very  taciturn  for  an  Irishman ;  but  we 
found  him  skilful  in  the  management  of  the  boat,  and 
well  acquainted  with  the  best  courses  on  the  lake  for 
casting  the  fly.     Whilst   the  boat  was  preparing,  I 

« 

caught  a  brace  of  trout  from  the  shore,  which  augured 
well;  but  our  sport  was  not  good,  nor  were  the  fish 
we  caught  fine,  either  in  colour  or  flavour.  The  flies  I 
found  most  successful  were  the  wren^s  tail.  No.  19 ;  the 
Carshalton  fly.  No.  5 ;  the  grouse-hackle,  No.  38 ;  and 
Hofland^s  fancy.  No.  2. 

The  fishing  is  somewhat  better  at  Loughdan,  which 
is  a  larger  lake,  and  the  trout  are  of  a  better  quality. 
The  scenery  here  is  certainly  very  beautiful,  but  wants 
the  grandeur  and  variety  of  the  Lakes  of  Killamey,  and 
of  those  in  Cumberland  and  Scotland.  We  returned 
late  in  the  evening  to  fioundwood ;  and  the  next  day, 
after  furnishing  ourselves  with  a  bottle  of  '^  the  craythur,'* 
we  visited  the  Seven  Churches  (about  five  miles  distant 
from  Roundwood),  taking  Charley  Carr  with  us  as  a 
guide. 

After  again  driving  over  two  or  three  miles  of 
dreary  road,  we  saw,  to  the  right,  some  extensive  build- 
ings on  the  hill-side,  which,  Carr  informed  us,  were 
Lara  Barracks,  erected  immediately  after  the  rebellion 


angler's  manual.  437 

of  1798.  A  short  distance  then  brought  us  to  a  pic- 
turesque old  bridge,  over  a  mountain  torrent,  and  we 
entered 

GLENDALOUGH, 

literally,  the  Glen  of  the  Two  Lakes.  We  were  now  in 
the  valley  of  the  Seven  Churches ;  and,  after  passing 
through  a  small  village,  we  came  in  sight  of  one  of  the 
round  towers,  and,  from  this  point,  had  successive  views 
of  the  scattered  ruins  of  the  Seven  Churches.  These 
remains  of  former  days  are  not  far  from  each  other, 
and  none  of  them  are  of  great  extent,  but  the  scenery 
around  is  singularly  wild  and  solemn;  and  the  dark, 
craggy  mountains,  encircling  the  two  lakes,  at  the  head 
of  the  valley,  as  seen  from  the  foreground  on  which 
stands  the  lofty  round  tower,  have  an  awful  character. 

The  origin  and  antiquity  of  the  round  towers  of 
Ireland  have  been  a  source  of  much  learned  contro- 
versy ;  but  I  looked  at  the  one  at  Glendalough  with  the 
eye  of  an  artist,  not  of  an  antiquary,  and  it  certainly 
is  an  imposing  feature  in  the  scene.  Whilst  contem- 
plating these  ruins,  I  became  deeply  interested  by 
observing  a  funeral  which  took  place  in  the  interior  of 
one  of  these  mouldering  churches.  It  was  attended  by 
many  of  the  peasantry  of  the  humblest  kind,  but  not 
by  any  officiating  priest;  and  before  the  coffin  was 
lowered  into  the  shallow  grave  they  had  dug,  it  was 
placed  by  its  side,  and  the  mourners  and  bearers  knelt 


438  THE  BRITISH 

dawn,  and  in  silence  offered  the  homage  of  their  snb- 
daed  and  grieving  hearts  to  the  Creator.  I  could  not 
refrain  from  kneeUng  in  company  with  these  simple 
worshippers,  and  joining  in  their  aspirations  to  onr 
common  Father. 

We  now  proceeded  from  the  rains  to  the  lakes^  and, 
on  the  upper  one,  procured  a  boat ;  but  we  had  again 
indifferent  sport,  and  the  fish  were  not  better  than  those 
caught  in  Luggela.  The  boatman  informed  us  that  the 
lake  contained  very  large  trout,  but  that  they  would 
not  take  the  fly.  On  our  return,  the  additional  weight 
of  Charley,  standing  on  the  step  of  the  car,  broke  one 
of  our  shafts,  and  we  were  detained  several  hours,  while 
the  united  skill  of  the  whole  village  was  employed  in 
repairing  our  vehicle,  so  that  we  did  not  reach  Round- 
wood  tiQ  eleven  o'clock  p.m. 

At  a  short  distance  from  our  inn  runs  a  small 
river.  The  course  of  this  stream,  for  some  miles,  is 
over  a  rocky  bed,  but  forming  many  fine  pools  and 
eddies  for  the  fly ;  and  the  trout  are  of  better  quality 
than  those  of  Luggela,  although  small.  This  stream 
forms  the  waterfall  at  the  head  of  the 

DEVIL^S  GLEN, 

one  of  the  Uons  of  the  county  of  Wicklow. 

We  had  ordered  our  carriage  to  wait  for  us  at  the 
foot  of  the  glen,  and  enjoyed  our  independence  in  this 


angler's  manual,  439 

wild  romantic  solitude.  The  cascade  at  the  head  of  the 
ravine  where  we  entered,  fella  over  a  perpendicular 
rock,  at  least  a  hundred  feet  high.  The  glen  is  ahout  a 
mile  and  a  half  in  length,  and  is  very  narrow.     The 


richly  wooded  hills  and  rocks,  on  both  sides,  are  lofty, 
and  nearly  perpendicular,  the  river  running  over  a 
much  more  ru^ed  bed  than  that  of  the  Dove,  in  Dove- 
dale.  The  wood  is  also  infinitely  superior  to  that  of  the 
Derbyshire  glen;  but  the  rocks  of  the  Dove  exceed  in 
height  and  character  those  of  its  Irish  rival. 

The  luxuriance  of  the  vegetation  here  is  truly  sur- 
prising. I  have  never  (with  the  exception  of  at  Dal- 
mally,  at  the  head  of  Loch  Awe)  seen  such  a  variety  of 
wild  flowers,  or  such  tall  grasses  and  ferns.     The  fishing 


4p40  the  BRITISH 

in  the  glen  most  depend  on  the  state  of  the  water. 
When  it  is  low,  the  only  sure  way  of  taking  trout  is  by 
droppmg  a  smaU  red  worm,  with  very  fine  gut,  or  a 
single  hair,  into  little  pools  or  eddies,  by  the  sides  of 
large  stones ;  but  when  the  river  is  tolerably  full,  and 
is  clearing,  good  sport  may  be  had  with  the  fly. 

We  dined  at  Newrath  Bridge,  near  the  demesne  of 
Bosanna,  where  the  gifted  authoress  of  ^^  Cupid  and 
Psyche"  composed  that  beautiful  poem.  The  inn  is 
tolerably  comfortable,  and  is  much  resorted  to  by  par- 
ties from  Dublin.  Every  traveller  must  be  delighted 
with  the  Glen  of  the  Downs,  which  we  passed  on  our 
way  to  Bray,  a  small  town  only  ten  miles  from  Dublin, 
much  frequented  in  the  summer  season  for  the  purpose 
of  sea-bathing.  It  is,  indeed,  beautifully  situated, 
having  the  sea  on  one  side  of  it,  and  on  the  other  a 
deUghtful  valley,  through  which  flows  a  meandering 
trout-stream,  the  banks  of  which  are,  in  many  parts, 
fringed  with  wood,  the  whole  view  being  terminated  by 
the  lofby  and  picturesque  Sugarloaf  Mountain,  which  is 
seen  from  this  point  to  the  greatest  advantage. 

I  found  the  stream  too  low  for  fishing.  The  stranger 
at  Bray  will  be  surprised  at  the  extensive  establishment 
of  the  hotel  kept  by  Mr.  Quin ;  it  is  only,  if  at  all, 
inferior  to  the  Penryn  Arms,  at  Bangor. 

From  Bray  we  visited  the  Dargle,  a  rocky  glen, 
which  has  been  compared  with  Dovedale,  and  of  which 
the  annexed  view,  containing  a  smaU  cascade,  is  given  ; 


angler's  manual.  441 

which,  on  comparison  with  the  former,  will  enable  the 
reader  to  judge  for  himself.  The  body  of  the  stream 
that  flows  through  the  Dargle  is  not  equal  to  that  of 
the  Dove ;  but  it  has  the  advantage  of  a  waterfall,  and 
is  better  wooded,  but  (as  in  the  case  of  the  Devil's 
Glen)  the  rocks  of  Dovedale  are  superior.  The  prin- 
cipal points  of  view  are  the  ^^  Lover's  Leap,"  and  the 
''  Burnt  Rock."  From  the  high  ground,  at  the  upper 
end  of  the  Dargle,  we  had  a  splendid  view  of  Powers- 
court,  and  its  nobly-wooded  grounds,  and  returned  to 
Dublin  by  Enniskerry,  happy  to  re-enter  our  excellent 
quarters  at  the  Bilton. 

I  must  now  take  leave  of  Ireland  and  of  my  readers 
at  the  same  time,  with  regret  that  I  cannot,  from  my 
own  knowledge,  give  a  further  account  of  the  rivers 
and  lakes  of  this  fine  fishing  couatry.  Many  of  the 
loughs  abound  with  salmon,  trout,  pike,  and  eels,  and 
some  of  them  contain  charr. 

Several  of  these  lakes,  as  Lough  Corrib,  Lough 
Mask,  Lough  Conn,  and  Lough  Melvin,  produce  a 
singular  variety  of  the  trout,  called  the  Gillaroo  trout. 
This  fish  grows  to  a  large  size,  is  much  esteemed  for  its 
fine  flavour,  and  is  remarkable  for  its  large,  thick, 
muscular  stomach,  which  is  generally  found  to  contain 
three  or  four  kinds  of  shell-fish,  although  they  will  rise 
freely  at  the  fly.  It  is  said  that  Ireland  is  the  only 
part  of  the  British  isles  in  which  this  curious  fish  is  to 
be  found. 


142  THE  BRITiaH  ANOLEr's  MANUAL. 

I  mast  now  say  fiu-ewell  to  my  brothers  of  the  gentle 
craft,  wishing  them  many  a  happy  day  by  winding 
stream  or  sparUing  lake,  with  a  "  southern  wind  and 
cloudy  sky."  Should  another  edition  of  this  work  be 
called  for,  I  shall  be  happy  to  correct  any  errore  to 
which  my  attention  may  be  called,  or  to  add  any  nsefiil 
information  that  a  brother  sportsman  may  do  me  the 
favour  to  communicate. 


1 


443 

I  HAVE  already  stated,  that  every  material  used  in 
Angling  may  be  had  in  perfection  of  the  London 
manufacturers,  and  the  following  is,  as  far  as  I  have 
been  able  to  collect,  a  list  of  them  :  — 

Alfred,  W.  H.,  54  Moorgate  Street ;  and  41  Coleman  Street. 

Allen,  Edward,  198  Oxford  Street. 

Barth,  Benjamin  (now  Jacobs),  32  Cockspur  Street. 

Bartholomew,  Mrs.,  4  Crooked  Lane. 

Bazin,  John,  8  Duncan  Place,  London  Fields. 

Bernard,  John,  4  Church  Place,  Piccadilly. 

Billington,  John,  93  Chalton  Street,  Somers  Town. 

Blacker,  William,  54  Dean  Street,  Soho. 

Bond  and  Son,  62  Cannon  Street. 

Bowness  and  Son,  12  and  14  Bell  Yard,  Temple  Bar. 

Bowness,  George,  jun.,  33  Bell  Yard,  Temple  Bar. 

Brander,  Edward,  27  Wormwood  Street,  Bishopsgate. 

Cave,  Robert,  5  Oakley  Street,  Lambetji. 

Cheek,  John,  132  Oxford  Street. 

Clark,  Charles,  11  Compton  Street,  Clerkenwell. 

Clark,  Joseph,  11  St.  John's  Lane,  Clerkenwell. 

Creed,  Ebenezer,  33  Wilderness  Row,  Goswell  Street, 

Cureton,  J.  R.,  48  Snow's  Fields,  Bermondsey. 

Digings,  Ann,  37  Gibson  Street,  Lambeth. 

Dixon,  Hezekiah,  172  Fenchurch  Street. 

Eaton,  George,  6  &  7  Crooked  Lane,  City. 

Edmonds,  W.,  15  East  Road,  City  Road. 

Evatt,  Abraham,  9  Great  Ryder  Street,  St.  James's. 

Farlow,  Charles,  221  Strand. 

Farlow,  John,  5  Crooked  Lane,  City. 

Gardner,  W.,  58  Noble  Street,  Goswell  Street. 

Hohnes  and  Son,  123  Fetter  Lane. 

Holmes,  Charles,  jun.,  2  Sydney  Alley,  Leicester  Square. 

Holroyd,  J.  S.,  59  Gracechurch  Street. 

Jones,  James,  111  Jermyn  Street,  St.  James's. 

Joy,  Henry,  6  Opera  Arcade,  Pall  Mall. 

Kmg,  Richard,  75  Cheapside. 

Little,  Giles,  15  Fetter  Lane.  j  o^  u  ^  t  • 

Muirson,  J.  T.,  7  Upper  King  Street,  Bloomsbury  ;  and  36  Red  Lion 

Street,  Holbom. 
Plucknett,  Mrs.,  45  AmeUa  Street,  Walworth  Road. 
Roblow,  Thos.,  30  Upper  Marylebone  Street. 
Sanderson,  John,  10  Blackfriars'  Road. 
Smith,  67  Wood  Street;  and  1  Sherborne  Lane. 
Turpin,  Henry,  124  St.  John  Street  Road. 
Ustonson  and  Peters,  48  Bell  Yard,  Temple  Bar. 
Willis,  John,  120  Chancery  Lane. 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


Aberdeenshire,  riTera  of;  the  Dee,  Don, 
Urie,  Yethan,  and  Deveron,  427 

Angling,  different  methods  of;  see  the 
different  kinds  of  fish.  Apology  for ; 
see  Introduction 

Anglers  eminent  in  the  Arts  and  Sci- 
ences, Introduction 

Appleby,  288 

Aray,  the  river,  Argyleshire,  417 

Argyleshire,  rivers  of;  the  Orchy,  or 
Urchy,  Awe,  Wrotry,  and  Aray,  427 

Arkwright,  Richard,  Esq.  343 

Avon,  the,  best  river  for  angling  in  Eng- 
land, 283 

Ayrshire,  rivers  of;  the  Ayr.  Lugar,  Gir- 
van,  Stincher,  Dusk,  and  Irvine,  427 

Baits,  »-23 

Bakewell,  Derbyshire,  344 

Banffshire,  rivers  of;  the  Spey,  Aven, 
and  Deveron,  427 

Barbel,  140;  size  and  weight,  141 ;  baits 
for,  142-144 ;  best  mode  of  dressing,  145 

Barnard  Castle,  Yorkshire,  320 

Battersea  Bridge,  238 

Beddgelert,  North  Wales,  389 

Beddington  on  the  Wandle,  98 

Bedfordshire,  rivers  of ;  the  Ouse,  Hyel» 
and  Ivel,  383 

Berkshire,  rivers  of;  the  Kennett»  Lam- 
bourne,  and  Loddon,  346 

Berwickshire,  riversof ;  the  Black-adder, 
White-adder,  Tweed,  Eye,  and  Lauder, 
427 

Bexley  on  the  Cray,  100 

Bleak  Hall,  River  Lea,  279 

Bleak,  spinning  the,  77 

Blenheim,  Oxfordshire,  119 

Bolton  Abbey,  Yorkshire,  327 

Bray,  County  of  Wicklow,  440 

Bream,  164 

Brecon  Cathedral,  its  neglected  con- 
dition, 396 

Brockett  Hall,  102,  118 

Brougham  Castle,  291,  312 

Broxboume  on  the  Lea,  280 

Buccleuch,  Duke  of,  240 

Buckinghamshire,  rivers  of ;  the  Thames, 
Ouse,  Coin,  and  Wick.  381 

BuUth,363 


Bull-head,  or  miller's  thumb,   199 ;  its 

affection  for  its  offspring,  1 99 
Bull-trout,  or  salmo-ferox,  420 
Bush-fishing,  or  dibbing,  78 
Buttermere,  Mary  of,  306 
Byron,Lord,  his  verses  on  the  Tha]xies,25>5 

Caddis,  or  straw-worm,  14 

Caithness,  rivers  of ;  the  Thurso,  Wick, 
Rice,  and  Berrindale,  428 

Cambridgeshire,  rivers  of ;  the  Cam  and 
Granta,  374 

Carlisle,  292 

Carp,  Crucian,  or  Prussian,  153 

Carp,  146;  how  to  stew,  152;  spawning 
time,  148  ;  method  of  taking,  151 

Carshalton  on  the  Wandle,  97 

Charr,  northern,  105  ;  varieties,  106 

Chatsworth,  Derbyshire,  342 

Cheese,  18 

Chertsey  Bridge,  268 

Cheshire,  rivers  of;  the  Mersey,  Wever, 
and  Dee,  366 

Chub,  description  of,  158  ;  mode  of  tak- 
ing, 160-162  ;  to  cook,  163 

Clearing  ring,  2 

Clive.  Mrs.  252 

Cockchafer,  18,  160 

Coin  river,  Middlesex 

Coquet  River,  Northumberland,  317 

Corby  Castle,  289,  290 

Cornwall,  rivers  of;  the  Tamar,  Camel, 
Fal,  Fowey,  and  Looe,  362 

Cow-dung  bob,  or  clap-bait,  15 

Clyde,  the,  Scotland,  428 

Cray,  the  river,  Kent,  99 

Cray,  St.  Mary's,  99 

Crayford,  100 

Creeper,  the,  or  water-cricket,  18 

Crickhowcl,  South  Wales,  392 

Crossthwaite,  Mr.  Daniel,  302 

Cumberland,  rivers  of;  the  Eden,  Ea- 
mont,  Petterill,  Irthing,  Caldew,  Der- 
went,  Greta,  and  Irt,  288-295 

Cumberland,  lakes  of;  Uls water,  Thirl- 
roere,  Derwent-water,  Bassenthwaite- 
water,  Buttermere,  Crummock-water, 
Lowes-water,  Ennerdale-water,  Wa^- 
water,  Elter- water,  and  Devock-wako*, 
295-307 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


445 


Dace,  or  dare,  173 

DalmaUy,  425 

Dargle,  the,  County  of  Wicklow,  440 

Dartford,  Kent,  101 

Davy,  Sir  Humphry,  362 

Dawson,  Miss,  "  The  Lily  of  St.  Leo- 
nard's," 273 

Benham,  Middlesex,  95 

Derbyshire,  rivers  of;  the  Trent,  Ir- 
wash,  Blythe,  Tame,  Dove,  Manifold, 
Derwent,  Wye,  and  LathklU,  332-345 

Derwent,  or  Dart,  the  river,  Kent,  101 

Derwent,  the  river,  Derbyshire,  342 

Derwent,  the  river,  Cumberland,  293 

Derwent- water,  or  Keswick  lake,  301 

Devil's  Glen,  County  of  Wicklow,  439 

Devonshire,  rivers  of;  the  Tamar,  Plym, 
Yealme,  Aven,  Dart,  Ex,  Loman, 
Greedy,  Culm,  Otter,  8yd,  Axe,  Teign, 
Taw,  Torridge,  and  Oakment,  359-362 

Devonshire,  its  river  scenery,  361 

Disgorger,  the,  2 

Dock-grub,  16 

Docks,  London  and  Commercial,  238 

Dorsetshire,  rivers  of ;  the  Charr,  Eype, 
Wey,  Stoure,  Froome,  and  Brit,  369 

Dove  river,  333 

Dovedale,  333-341 

Downton,  352 

Drag,  the,  2 

Drayton  Mills,  96 

Driffield,  Yorkshire,  330 

Dublin,  433 

Duddon,  sonnet  to,  by  Wordsworth,  323 

Dumbarton  on  the  Clyde,  413 

Dumbartonshire,  rivers  of;  the  Clyde, 
Aden,  Geil,  and  Leven,  428 

Dumfries,  rivers  of;  the  Nith,  Lugar, 
Cairn,  Annan,  Esk,  Ewes,  Liddel,  and 
Sark,  428 

Durham,  County,  rivers  of;  the  Tees, 
Wear,  Bandor,  Lune,  and  Skene,  320 

Eden  Hall,  prophecy  concerning,  289 
Eel,  the,  183  ;  haunts  of,  190;  baits  for, 

187 
Enniskerry,  County  of  Wicklow,  434 
Essex,  rivers  of:  the  Blackwater,  Chel- 

mer,  Colne,  Stour,  Orwell,  and  Lea, 

376 
Excursion  from  London  to  Loch  Awe, 

406-426 
Exmoor  Forest,  good  fishing  there,  282 

FamiDgham,  Kent,  102 

Feathers,  201 

Fishing  with  the  minnow,  or  bleak,  70- 

77  ;  with  the  worm,  82 
Flies,  artificial,  how  to  make,  200-210 ; 

list  of,  and  modes  of  dressing,  211-235 
Ko.    1.  TheChantrey,  211 

2.  Hofland's  fancy,  211 

3.  March-brown,  212 


No.    4.  Blue  dun,  213 

5.  Fly  for  Carshalton  and  the  Test, 

213 

6.  Carshalton  cock-tail,  214 

7.  Pale  yellow  dun,  214 

8.  Orange  dun,  215 

9.  Coachman,  215 

10.  Cow-dung  fly,  216 

11.  The  hare's-ear  dun,  216 

12.  Edmondson's  Welsh  fly,  217 

13.  The  kingdom,  or  kindon,  217 

14.  Brown  shiner,  218 

15.  Gravel,  or  spider-fly,  218 

16.  Iron  blue,  219 

17.  Great  red  spinner,  219 

18.  Black  gnat,  219 

19.  Wren-tail,  220 

20.  Bracken  clock,  220 

21.  Red  ant,  221 

22.  Sand-fly,  222 

23.  Stone-fly,  222 

24.  Alder-fly,  223 

25.  Green  drake,  224 

26.  Grey  drake,  225 

27.  Black  palmer,  226 

28.  Soldier-palmer,  226 

29.  The  governor,  227 

30.  Fly  for  Loch  Awe,  227 

31.  Second  fly  for  ditto,  228 

32.  Fly  for  the  river  Dee,  228 

33.  Second  fly  for  ditto,  228 

34.  Fly  for  Llyn  Ogwin,  229 

35.  Coch-a-bonddu,  229 

36.  Yellow  Sally,  230 

37.  Ginger-hackle,  230 

38.  Grouse-hackle,  230 

39.  Dotteril-hackle,  231 

40.  Fly  for  the  Conway,  231 

41.  Second  fly  for  ditto,  232 

42.  Third  fly  for  ditto,  232 

43.  Grennum,  or  greentail,  232 

44.  Water-cricket,  233 

45.  Blue-bottle  fly,  233 

46.  Common  house-fly,  233 
Floats,  7 

Flounder,  the,  193 
Fly,  the  natural,  69 
Fly-fishing,  62-70 
Foot's  Cray,  Kent,  99 
Fordingbridge,  Hampshire,  282 

Gaff,  the,  8 

Gentles,  or  maggots,  13 

Gillaroo  trout,  441 

Glasgow,  412 

Glen   Falloch,  Highlands  of  Scotland, 

404. 426 
Glendalough,  County  of  Wicklow,  437 
Gloucestershire,  rivers  of;  the  Severn, 

Isis,  Wye,  Upper  Avon,  Lower  Avon, 

Cam,  and  Stroud,  355-358 
Gorge-hook,  124 
Grains,  22 


440 


(iENERAL  INDEX. 


Grashopper,  17»  161 

Grayling,  the,  108,  286,  328;   hints  to 

flshen  o^  339 
Oreares,  or  tallow  chaodlera'  scratch- 

ings,  19 
<3rey8tock  Castle  and  Park,  291 
Ground-baits,  22 
Gudgeon,  the,  179 
Guildford,  Surrey,  102 

Hack&ll,  Yorkshire,  329 

Hackle-flies,  234 

Haddon  Hall,  Derbyshire,  344 

Ilall  place,  Crayford,  100 

Hampshire,  rivers  of;  the  Avon,  Test, 

Anton,  and  Itchin,  282-287 
Hampton  Wick,  253 
Hampton  Court,  260 
Hampton,  262 
Hatfield  Park,  Bfarquis  of  Salisbury's, 

102,  118 
HeU  Glen,  Argyleshire,  414 
Helvellyn,  298 
Herefordshire,  rivers  of;  the  Wye,  Lug, 

Monow,  Arrow,   Frome,  Loden,  and 

Tame,  363 
Hertfordshire,  rivers  of;  the  Lea,  Colne, 

and  New  River,  377 
High  Wycombe,  103 
Uodder,  the  river,  Yorkshire,  330 
Hooks,  2 
Hook,  Theodore,  Esq.  257  ;  his  verses  in 

praise  of  Ditton,  258 
Howard,  Henry,  Esq.  291,  297 
Huntingdonshire,  rivers  of;  the  Nen,  or 

Nine,  and  Ouse,  380 

Inverary,  Argyleshire,  415 
Ireland,  excursion  to,  433-441 
Isleworth,  239 

Jeanie  Deans,  250 
Jesse,  Edward,  Esq.  262 

Kennet  river,  346 

Kent,  rivers  of;  the  Medway,  Stour, 
378  ;  Cray,  99  ;  Derwent,  or  Dart,  101 
Keswick,  Cumberland,  293,  301 
Kettle  for  live  bait,  2 
Kilchum  Castle,  on  Loch  Awe,  424 
Killamey,  lakes  of,  41,  433 
Killin,  Scotland,  404 
Kilmorey,  Earl  of,  248 
Kingston,  Surrey,  253 
Kirby  Lonsdale,  310 
Kirkoswald,  290 

Laleham  on  the  Thames,  270 

Lamb,  Charles,  279 

Lambton  Castle,  320 

Lamprey,  lampeme,  or  seven  eyes,  191 


Lancadiire,  rivers  of;  the  Mersey,  Ir- 
well,  Leven,  Wyre,  Lune,  Kent,  Kib- 
ble, and  Duddon,  321-325 

Lancashire,  lakes  of,  Windermere,  Co- 
niston-water,  Esthwaite-water,  and 
Levers-water,  324 

Landing-net,  2,  8 

Langdale  pikes,  Westmoreland,  316 

Lascelles,  Robert,  Esq.  391 

LathkiU  river,  Derbyshire,  344 

Lea  river,  the,  275-28? 

Lea  Bridge,  Horse  and  Groom,  277 

Leicestershire,  rivers  of;  the  Soar, 
Wreke,  Avon,  Anker,  and  Welland, 
371 

Leintwardine,  Shropshire,  349 

Lilly  Tarn,  332 

Lincolnshire,  fivers  of ;  the  Trent,  Wel- 
land, and  Witham,  371 

Linton,  William,  Esq.  331,  393 

Live-bait  fishhig.  130 

Llangollen,  North  Wales,  366 

Loach,  the,  195 

Lochs  of  Scotland,  viz.  :— 

*  Achray,  403  Laggan 
Aline  Leven 

•  Ard,  405  Linnhe 
Arklet  Lochy 
Arkey  Lomond 
Au-non-carp                  *  Long,  413 

*  Awe,  417  Lows 
Alort,  Lubmug 
Caterjm,  or  Katrine     Meikly 
Chon  Melfort 
Craignish                       na  Garr 
Crinan                           na  Keal 

♦  Dochart,  405  of  Cluny 
Dubh  Ness 
Earn  Oich 

*  Eck,  37  Rannoch 
Eil                                 Ransa 
End                                Ridon 
Ericht                            Skene 
Etive,  32                        Slapm 
Feschon  Straven 
•Fine,  415  •  Tay,  405 
Geil  Timiimel 
Gilp  Vennachar 

•  Goil,  414  VoU 
Loughs  of  Lrelaud,  437-441,  viz. : — 

Lu£^ela  Conn 

Dan  Melven 

Mask 

Lowther  Castle,  Westmoreland,  296, 31 1 

Low- wood  Inn,  Westmoreland,  315 

Lune,  the  river,  3i0 

Lyulph's  Tower,  297 

Maidenhead,  273 
Maidenhead  Trout  Club,  271 
Malham  Tarn,  Yorkshire,  330 


*  Those  lochs  marked  thus  *  arc  described  in  the  work. 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


447 


Malt,  22 

Mapleton,  Derbyshire,  334 

Mardale,  311-313 

Marlow,  273 

Marshall,  John,  Esq.  297-307 

Marshall,  William,  Esq.  M.P.  298 

Materials  used  in  angling,  2-8 ;  for  ar- 
tificial flies,  200 

Matlock,  Derbyshire,  342 

Middlesex,  rivers  of ;  the  Thames,  Coin, 
and  Lea,  384 

Mid-Lothian,  rivers  of;  the  water  of 
Leith,  428 

Mill- beck,  Cumberland,  305 

Minnow,  the,  197  ;  value  of  as  a  bait, 
197 

Minnow-fishhig,  70,  128 

Mitcham  and  Merton,  98 

Mole  river,  the,  102 

Monmouthshire,  rivers  of;  the  Usk, 
Wye,  Monow,  Trothy,  Lug,  and  6a- 
venny,  370 

Newbury,  Berkshire,  346 
Newlands,  vale  of,  Cumberland,  303 
Norfolk,  rivers  of;  the  Yare,  Wensum, 

Tase,  Waveney,    Bure,    Thym,  and 

Ouse,  374 
Northamptonshire,  rivers  of ;  the  Nyne, 

Leam,  Cherwell,  Ouse,  andWelland, 

370 
Northumberland,  rivers  of;  the  Tyne, 

Alon,     Blythe,    Wensbeck,    Coquet, 

Derwent,  Alne,  Till,  and  Wooler,  317 
Nottingham,  372 
Nottinghamshire,  rivers  of;  the  Trent 

and  Idle,  373 

Oak-grub,  16 

Oliver,  Stephen,  the  younger,  296 

Orkney,  Lord,  273 

Otford,  10 1 

Oicfordshire,  rivers  of;  the  Thames, 
Isis,  Windrush,  Evenlodc,  and  Cher- 
well,  382 

Page's  water,  on  the  Lea,  281 

Palmers,  226 

Pangboume,  Berkshire,  274 

Parker,  Lister,  Esq.  330 

Pastes,  19 

Patterdale,  Cumberland,  299 

Perch,  134 

Perch-fishing,  a  secret  in,  136 

Pike,  pickerell,  or  jack,  114 

Pont  Aber-glaslyn,  389 

Pooley  Bridge,  Ulswater,  296 

Pope,  or  ruffe,  192 

Port  Sonnachan,  Loch  Awe,  418 

Putney  Bridge,  239 

Reading,  Berkshire,  274,  340 
Keel,  or  Winch,  6 


Rhodes,  E.  Esq.  334 
Richmond,  Surrey,  240-245 
Rickmansworth,  on  the  Colne,  95 
Roach,  167  ;  best  way  of  dressing,  167 ; 

Londoners  most  skilful  fishers  of^  172 
Rose  Castle,  Cumberland,  293 
Rudd,  the,  175;   description  of,  and  to 

angle  for,  176 
Russell,  Jesse  Watts,  Esq.  337 
Rutlandshire,  rivers  of:  the  Guash,  or 

Wash,  377 
Rye  House,  the,  near  Hoddesden,  281 

Salmon,  24-44 ;  flies  for,  45-49 

Salmon-trout,  50 

Salmon-pink,  brandling,  par,  or  skeg- 

ger,  52 
Salmonia,  349 

Scale-hill,  Crummock-water,  306 
Scale-force,  ditto,  307 
Scotland,  rivers  of,  427-430 
Seven  Churches,  County  Wicklow,  437 
Severn,  the  river,  355 
Shepperton  on  the  Thames,  266 
Shotting  the  line,  8 
Shropshire,    rivers    of;     the    Severn, 

Vymwy,    Clun,    Teme,  Wevel,   and 

Tern,  348-352 
Skiddaw,  Cumberland,  302 
Slugs,  16 
Smelt,  the,  194 
Snap-fishing,  126;  additional  remarks  by 

the  Editor,  130 
Somersetshire,  rivers  of;  the  Tare,  A.xe, 

Avon,  Brent,  Frome,  and  Parrett,  352 
Southey,  Robert,  Esq.  301 
Staffordshire,    rivers   of;    the   Trent, 

Tame,    Walsall-water,    and     Black- 
brook,  353 ;   celebrated  for  its  large 

pike,  353 
Staines,  Middlesex,  270 
Stickleback,  the,  198 
Stockbridge,  Hampshire,  283 ;  its  fishing 

club,  285 
Streatly,  Berkshire,  274 
Suffolk,  rivers  of;  the  Lesser  Ouse,  Aid, 

Deben,    Blyth,    Orwell,  or  Gipping, 

Stour,  and  Great  Ouse,  375 
Sunbury,  Middlesex,  265 
Surrey,  rivers  of;   the  Thames,  236; 

Wey,  379 ;  and  Wandle,  97 
Sussex,  rivers  of ;  the  Arun,  Adur,  Ouse, 

Cockmare,  Rother,Breke,  and  Levant, 

379 

Tackle-makers,  list  of;  443 

Teddington,  Middlesex,  251 

Teme,  the  river,  1 1 1 

Tench,  the,  154 

Test,  the  river,  Hampshire,  283 

Thames  Angling  Preservation  Society, 

237 
Thames  Ditton,  254 


448 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


TluuaoM-fiflhing,  336-274 
ThornhUl,  Bache,  Eiq.  338 
Tottenham  Mills  on  the  Lea,  278 
Trent,  the  river,  353 
Trimmer-fUhing,  130 
Trolling  for  pike,  1 14-133 
Trolling-tackle,  123 
Trout,  description  of,  ftc.  64-104 
Trotttbeck  Valley,  Wettmoreland,  315 
Twickenham,  Btiddlesex,  245 
Twickenham  Ait,  248 ;  encroachmenta 
on,  249 

Ullock,  Mr.,  Royal  Hotel,  Bownen,  105, 

316 
Ure,  the  river,  Yorkshire,  329 
Usk,  the  river,  its  beautiflil  scenery,  395 

Wales,  North  and  Soath ;  Lakes  of  384- 

402 

Llanberris 
Llyn-Cerig,  or  Corig 
Llyn-IdweU 
Llyn-Mwyngil 
Llyn-Ogwin 
Llyn-Savador 
Llyn-y-Elider  Vawr 
Llyn-y-Gamalt 
Llyn-y-Mowynion 
Tftl-y-Llyn 
Wales,  North  and  South,  riven  of;  the 
Dee,  Wye,  Clwydd,  Elwy,  Conway, 
Aber,    Colwyn,    Usk,    Monow,    and 
LIugwy,  384-402 
Waltham  Abbey,  279 
Walton,  Izaak,  Introduction,  85, 170 
Walton-on- Thames,  265 
Wandle,  the  river,  97 


Warwickshire,  riven  of;  the  km, 

Tame,    Anker,    Blyth,  Arrow,  ind 

Leam,383 
Wa^gmb,  the,  17 
Water-soudiy,  receipt  for,  139 
Westmorelandi,  lakes  of;  WindemwR, 

Ulswater,     Hawes-wster,     BroUw- 

water,  Grassmere,  Rydal-wster,  ind 

Elter-water,  312 
Westmoreland,  rivers  of;  the  Ken,* 

Kent,  Lune,  Lowther,  Brathey,  ind 

Rothay,  306 
Weybridge,  on  the  Thames,  268 
Wharfe,  the  river,  Yorkshire,  326 
Wheat,  22 

Whitchurch,  Hampshire,  284 
White-house,  on  the  river  Lea,  276 
Wiltshire,  rivers  of;  the  Nadder.Wil- 

ley.  Bourne,  Avon,  and  Kennet,  348 
Wofflngton,  Margaret,  252 
Worcestershire,  rivers  of;  the  Seren, 

Teme,    Avon,    Bow,    Salwsrp,  and 

Stour,  365 
Wordsworth,  William,  Esq.  314 
Workington,  excellent  salmon-flahiogit, 

294 
Worm-flshing,  8^-86 
Worms,  9-13 ;  how  to  bait  with,  11 ;  to 

scour  and  preserve,  12 
Wycombe,  West,  381 
Wye,  the  river,  Derbyshire,  343 
Wye,  the  river,  Monmouthshire,  370;iti 

beantifal  scenery,  356 

Yorkshire,  rivers  of;  the  Don,Calder, 
Aire,  Hodder,  Ribble,  Wharfe,  U 
Ure,  Swale,  Ouse,  Hull,  Tees,  ui 
Humber,  326-332 


London : — Geoi^ge  Barclay,  Castle  Street,  Leicester  Square. 


o  "^ 


\=^^^-\ 


JUN   ■'      )94)